Construction hazard library
35 hazards that show up on most job sites. Each page lists controls from most to least effective, the PPE that goes with them, and the 29 CFR 1926 standards that apply. The same library powers the hazard picker in the JHA builder, so picking a hazard there suggests these controls.
| Hazard | What it is | Main standard | Controls | Guides | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falls 5 | |||||
| Falls from heightFocus 4 | Work at an unprotected side or edge 6 feet or more above a lower level. In construction, 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1) requires guardrails, safety nets, or a personal fall arrest system at that height. | 1926.501 | 11 | 2 | Add to JHA |
| Holes and floor openingsFocus 4 | Holes, skylights, and penetrations in floors, roofs, and decks. A worker can step or fall through them, or trip in a smaller hole. OSHA requires covers, guardrails, or personal fall arrest for holes more than 6 feet above a lower level. | 1926.501(b)(4) | 8 | 1 | Add to JHA |
| Ladders | Falls from portable and fixed ladders, usually from overreaching, a ladder that slides out at the base, or standing on the top steps. Subpart X of 29 CFR 1926 covers ladder use in construction. | 1926.1051 | 10 | 1 | Add to JHA |
| Scaffolds | Falls from scaffold platforms, scaffold collapse, and objects falling from scaffolds onto people below. Subpart L requires fall protection on scaffolds more than 10 feet above a lower level. | 1926.451 | 10 | 1 | Add to JHA |
| Aerial and scissor lifts | Falls from the platform, tip-overs, and crushing between the platform and overhead structure. Boom-supported lifts are covered by 1926.453. OSHA treats scissor lifts as mobile scaffolds. | 1926.453 | 9 | Add to JHA | |
| Struck-by 7 | |||||
| Falling and overhead objectsFocus 4 | Tools, materials, and debris that fall from above and strike workers below. 1926.501(c) requires hard hats plus toeboards, screens, guardrails, a canopy, or a barricaded area when workers are exposed to falling objects. | 1926.501(c) | 8 | Add to JHA | |
| Vehicle and public trafficFocus 4 | Workers struck by public traffic in road work zones, or by delivery trucks and site vehicles. Signs, signals, and barricades in construction follow Subpart G, which points to the MUTCD for traffic control. | 1926.200 | 7 | Add to JHA | |
| Heavy equipment and backing vehiclesFocus 4 | Workers struck or run over by equipment, especially while it backs up or swings. OSHA requires a reverse alarm or an observer for vehicles and earthmoving equipment with an obstructed rear view. | 1926.600 | 9 | Add to JHA | |
| Line of fire | Being in the path of something that can move, release, or fall: a suspended load, a tensioned strap, a pressurized hose, or equipment that can shift. The control is usually where you stand. | 1926.1425 | 8 | Add to JHA | |
| Crane lifts and rigging | Dropped loads, rigging failures, swinging loads, and crane contact with power lines. Subpart CC covers cranes and derricks in construction, and 1926.251 covers rigging equipment. | 1926.251 | 10 | 1 | Add to JHA |
| Powder-actuated tools | Fasteners that pass through or ricochet off the base material, and noise from the charge. 1926.302(e) limits operation to trained workers and sets rules for testing, loading, and use. | 1926.302(e) | 8 | Add to JHA | |
| Flying particles and eye injuries | Chips, dust, and fragments thrown by grinding, chipping, cutting, drilling, and compressed air. 1926.102 requires eye and face protection when machines or operations present that hazard. | 1926.102 | 7 | Add to JHA | |
| Caught-in or between 3 | |||||
| Pinch points and caught-in or betweenFocus 4 | Hands, limbs, or whole bodies caught in machinery, crushed between equipment and a fixed object, or buried by collapsing material. Caught-in or between is one of OSHA's Focus Four construction hazards. | 1926.300 | 7 | Add to JHA | |
| Excavation and trenchingFocus 4 | Cave-ins, falls into the excavation, falling loads, hazardous atmospheres, and water accumulation. Subpart P requires a protective system in excavations 5 feet or deeper unless the excavation is entirely in stable rock. | 1926.650 | 9 | Add to JHA | |
| Stored energy and lockout | Energy that is still in a system after it is shut off: electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, spring, thermal, or gravity. In construction, 1926.417 covers lockout and tagging of electrical circuits, and 1926.702(j) covers concrete and masonry equipment. | 1926.417 | 7 | Add to JHA | |
| Electrical 2 | |||||
| Electrical shock and electrocutionFocus 4 | Contact with energized parts, damaged cords and tools, and ground faults on temporary power. Electrocution is one of OSHA's Focus Four. Subpart K requires GFCIs or an assured equipment grounding conductor program for temporary receptacles. | 1926.404 | 8 | Add to JHA | |
| Overhead power linesFocus 4 | Cranes, booms, dump beds, ladders, and long materials that contact or arc to overhead lines. OSHA's crane standard uses a 20-foot minimum clearance for lines up to 350 kV under one of its compliance options in 1926.1408. | 1926.1408 | 7 | Add to JHA | |
| Health 8 | |||||
| Respirable crystalline silica | Fine dust from cutting, grinding, drilling, or crushing concrete, masonry, stone, and tile. 29 CFR 1926.1153 sets a permissible exposure limit of 50 micrograms per cubic meter as an 8-hour average and an action level of 25. | 1926.1153 | 8 | Add to JHA | |
| Lead | Lead dust and fume from disturbing painted surfaces, torch cutting painted steel, and demolition. 29 CFR 1926.62 sets a permissible exposure limit of 50 micrograms per cubic meter as an 8-hour average and an action level of 30. | 1926.62 | 9 | Add to JHA | |
| Asbestos | Fibers released when asbestos-containing material is disturbed during renovation or demolition. 29 CFR 1926.1101 sets a permissible exposure limit of 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter as an 8-hour average. | 1926.1101 | 6 | Add to JHA | |
| Hexavalent chromium | A toxic form of chromium released when welding or cutting stainless steel and chrome-coated metal, and present in some paints and coatings. 29 CFR 1926.1126 sets a permissible exposure limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter as an 8-hour average. | 1926.1126 | 6 | Add to JHA | |
| Hazardous atmospheres | Air that is low in oxygen, flammable, or toxic. Common sources on site are hydrogen sulfide in sewers, carbon monoxide from engines in enclosed areas, and nitrogen or other gases that displace oxygen without any warning smell. | 1926.55 | 7 | Add to JHA | |
| Confined spaces | Spaces large enough to enter, with limited ways in or out, that are not designed for continuous occupancy. Subpart AA requires a competent person to identify them, and a written permit space program before workers enter a permit-required space. | 1926.1203 | 9 | Add to JHA | |
| High noise | Noise from saws, jackhammers, compressors, and equipment that causes permanent hearing loss over time. 29 CFR 1926.52 limits exposure to 90 dBA averaged over 8 hours, and 1926.101 requires hearing protection when noise cannot be brought below that limit. | 1926.52 | 5 | Add to JHA | |
| Chemicals and chemical burns | Skin burns, eye injuries, and breathing problems from site chemicals, including wet concrete, solvents, epoxies, acids, and fuels. The Hazard Communication standard requires labels, safety data sheets, and training. | 1926.59 | 9 | Add to JHA | |
| Fire 1 | |||||
| Hot work, fire, and combustibles | Fires started by sparks and slag from welding, cutting, and grinding, plus burns from hot metal. 29 CFR 1926.352 requires moving or protecting combustibles and having fire extinguishing equipment ready during hot work. | 1926.350 | 9 | Add to JHA | |
| Ergonomic 3 | |||||
| Heavy lifting and manual handling | Strains and sprains from lifting, carrying, and placing heavy or awkward materials. There is no OSHA lifting standard, so controls come from planning deliveries and using mechanical help. | OSHA | 8 | 1 | Add to JHA |
| Hand and power tools | Cuts, kickback, flying debris, and shocks from tools that are damaged, unguarded, or used for the wrong job. Subpart I requires all hand and power tools, whether the employer or the worker owns them, to be kept in safe condition. | 1926.300 | 9 | Add to JHA | |
| Cuts, lacerations, and impalement | Cuts from sheet metal, glass, blades, and banding, and impalement on exposed rebar. 1926.701(b) requires protruding reinforcing steel that workers could fall onto or into to be guarded against impalement. | 1926.701 | 6 | Add to JHA | |
| Weather 3 | |||||
| Heat illness | Heat exhaustion and heat stroke from hard work in hot conditions. Workers who are new or returning are at the highest risk in their first days on the job. Some states, including California, have their own heat illness rules. | OSHA | 10 | Add to JHA | |
| Cold stress | Hypothermia, frostbite, and trench foot from cold, wet, and windy conditions. There is no specific federal OSHA cold stress standard. Fuel-fired heaters used to keep crews warm bring their own carbon monoxide and fire hazards. | 1926.154 | 10 | Add to JHA | |
| Wind, lightning, and storms | Wind that moves loads, materials, and people at height, lightning strikes, and storms that change ground and surface conditions. Scaffold work during storms or high wind is prohibited unless a competent person decides it is safe and workers are protected by personal fall arrest or wind screens. | 1926.451(f) | 8 | Add to JHA | |
| Site conditions 3 | |||||
| Slips, trips, and same-level falls | Falls on the same level from debris, cords, uneven ground, mud, ice, or wet surfaces. Most of them can be prevented with housekeeping. | 1926.25 | 8 | 1 | Add to JHA |
| Poor lighting | Trips, missed hazards, and equipment strikes in areas without enough light. Table D-3 in 1926.56 lists minimum light levels, including 5 foot-candles for general construction area lighting. | 1926.56 | 5 | Add to JHA | |
| Congested work areas | Several trades working in the same area at once, with stacked materials, overhead work, equipment, and low clearances. Most of the controls are scheduling and coordination. | 1926.25 | 7 | Add to JHA | |
Focus Four: falls, struck-by, caught-in or between, and electrocution, the four hazard groups OSHA highlights in construction. Standards are federal OSHA. State plans can be stricter.