GOSPEL-JHA-003 CONNECTING A LOAD

DOCUMENT: GOSPEL-JHA-003
REVISION: 01 CURRENT
EFFECTIVE: 2026-09-01
OWNER: GOSPEL Safety
APPROVED BY: GOSPEL
REVIEW: 2027-09-01

THE JOB

Putting the hitch on the piece before the crane takes weight. Method: GOSPEL-SWP-011 / 012.

WHO IS EXPOSED

Rigger on or beside the load
Operator waiting on the hook
Anyone reaching in to ‘help’

A JHA names what can hurt someone and how that risk is controlled. It is not the procedure. Do the work to the matching SWP. WorkSafeBC does not prescribe a JHA form — the Workers Compensation Act s. 21(2)(b) requires workers to be made aware of known or reasonably foreseeable hazards. This is how GOSPEL does that for this job.

HAZARDS AND RISK

Task is the work being analysed — not a procedure to follow. Controls follow the hierarchy: eliminate, substitute, engineer, administer, PPE last. The badge is how bad this task going wrong is in this job. Extreme is the killer with no recovery. High is serious injury or a dropped load you still have a chance to stop. Moderate is lost time or a plan that failed. Low is first aid.

LOWMODERATEHIGHEXTREME

TASK	HAZARD	RISK	CONTROL
Block the piece	Unstable load, roll, stack shift	HIGHCrush of the rigger against the piece or the ground.	Shore or block so the piece cannot roll onto a person. Do not crawl a live stack.
Choose the points	Choking a mystery flange, shop-welded eye	HIGHPoint tears out. Dropped load.	Designed lifting points. Homemade gear is out unless a professional engineer owns it (14.2, 14.15).
Seat hardware	Pin not engaged, side-loaded shackle, sling on the hook tip	HIGHHardware opens under load. Dropped load.	Match pin to body. Load bow and pin as designed. Sling in the saddle. Part 15.
Protect the sling	Sharp edge, heat, chemical	HIGHSling cut or burned through. Dropped load delayed, not prevented.	Softeners, pads, or a different hitch. Change the method — do not wrap tape as WLL.
Clear hands	Fingers, gloves, clothing in the hitch as the crane takes weight	HIGHAmputation, pull-in.	Hands and feet out. Operator does not take weight until the rigger is clear and the signal is given.

RESIDUAL RISK

A blocked, inspected hitch still pinches when the piece settles. Residual is fingers and feet. Held by hands and feet out before weight, and by a test lift before anyone believes the connection.

THE JOB DOES NOT PROCEED IF

Wrong shackle or missing pin
Sling on a sharp edge with no protection
Load not blocked
No rated lifting point and no engineered method

PPE — LAST LINE

Hard hat
CSA-grade footwear
High-visibility clothing
Eye protection
Task-rated gloves
Hearing protection where required
Fall protection where the work exposes a fall

SWP — SLINGING LOADS →

REFERENCES

Workers Compensation Act s. 21(2)(b) — workers made aware of known or reasonably foreseeable hazards
Workers Compensation Act s. 21(2)(e) — information, instruction, training and supervision
OHS Regulation B.C. Reg. 296/97 (in force 15 Apr 1998) Part 3 — program, instruction, inspections (ss. 3.1–3.12)
CCOHS Job Safety Analysis — JSA and JHA are the same method: break the job, name the hazards, select controls
Workers Compensation Act s. 21 — known or reasonably foreseeable hazards; instruction and supervision
OHS Regulation (B.C. Reg. 296/97, in force 15 Apr 1998) Part 3 — OHS program, instruction, inspections
OHS Regulation Part 4 s. 4.13 — risk assessment where rescue or evacuation may arise
OHS Regulation Part 8 — PPE; headwear CSA Z94.1-05 or Z94.1-15
OHS Regulation Part 11 — fall protection
OHS Regulation Part 14 — Cranes and Hoists
14.2(5) — CSA Z150-1998, or ASME B30.5-2004, or ASME B30.22-2005 (articulating boom)
14.2(6) — CSA Z248-2004 for tower, hammerhead and self-erecting tower cranes
14.35 pre-use inspection · 14.36 load weight · 14.42.1 critical lift · 14.44 loads over work areas · 14.45 unattended loads · 14.47–14.49 signals
OHS Regulation Part 15 — Rigging
Manufacturer load chart, manual and configuration limits
Site lift plan, FLHA and site rules where stricter