JOB HAZARD ANALYSIS
SIGNALLING A CRANE
Two voices, a blind operator, a person in the path.
- DOCUMENT
- GOSPEL-JHA-002
- REVISION
- 01 CURRENT
- EFFECTIVE
- 2026-09-01
- OWNER
- GOSPEL Safety
- APPROVED BY
- GOSPEL
- REVIEW
- 2027-09-01
THE JOB
Directing the crane so the operator moves only on a signal they can trust. Method: GOSPEL-SWP-005 / 007.
WHO IS EXPOSED
- Signalperson
- Operator
- Riggers in the zone
- Other trades who can enter the path
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name one signalperson | Two people signalling | HIGHOperator picks the convenient instruction. Load into a person or a structure. | One voice. Transfer spoken and acknowledged. 14.47. |
| Agree the system | Non-standard hands, wrong channel, private dialect | MODERATEOperator translates. Translation is a guess. Guess is a collision. | Standard signals. Channel and STOP in the brief. Dedicated radio where 14.49 requires it. |
| See the load, path and operator | Blind corner, glare, signalperson also rigging | HIGHBoom or load into steel, lines or people the operator cannot see. | If you cannot see, you are not signalling. Dedicated spotter or stop. Blind lifts: GOSPEL-JHA-005. |
| Hold the zone | Trades walking the fall line while the signalperson is busy | EXTREMEStruck-by. 14.44. | Hands are for the crane. Zone is a control, not a courtesy. Anyone may STOP. |
RESIDUAL RISK
Radios fail and hands get lost in glare. Residual risk is a crane that moves on silence or on the wrong person. Held by a hard STOP and by not moving until the crew is reset. 14.47–14.49.
THE JOB DOES NOT PROCEED IF
- Two people signalling
- Cannot see load, path or operator — and no dedicated radio protocol
- Radio untested or garbage
- Zone lost
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
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
PROVENsin(). Current version on this site.