# Job Hazard Analysis: Concrete formwork URL: https://hardhatbinder.com/en/jha/carpentry/formwork Last updated: 2026-10-23 Build, brace, inspect, and strip wood and plywood forms for footings, walls, and slabs using circular saws, hammers, form ties, and steel stakes. Covers work near exposed rebar, from ladders and form walkways, and around concrete placement. Check site conditions before each shift: weather, ground condition, excavation edges, and overhead power lines. > A general example for this task. Your JHA should reflect your crew, equipment and site — review it with a competent person before work starts. ## Steps, hazards and controls ### 1. Unload and stage form lumber, plywood, stakes, and ties - **Back strain and crushed hands lifting 4x8 plywood sheets and bundles** (Medium): Have the supplier drop bundles close to the work area or use a forklift or telehandler to place them.; Carry full plywood sheets with two people; keep fingers clear of pinch points when setting down.; Wear leather work gloves. - **Stacks tipping or sliding; tripping over scattered material** (Low): Stack lumber on level dunnage, blocked and no higher than you can safely reach; keep stacks away from excavation edges.; Keep walkways clear and store stakes and ties in buckets or bins. ### 2. Cut form lumber and plywood with circular saw - **Cuts and kickback from the circular saw** (High): Use a saw with a working lower guard that springs back; never pin or wedge the guard open.; Support plywood on sawhorses so the cut piece falls free and the blade does not pinch; clamp short pieces.; Keep both hands on the saw, stand to the side of the blade, and unplug before changing blades. - **Electric shock from damaged cords in wet conditions** (Medium): Plug tools into GFCI-protected outlets or a portable GFCI.; Inspect cords before use; tag out any cord with cuts, missing ground pin, or taped splices. - **Flying chips and saw noise** (Medium): Set the cutting station away from other workers.; Wear safety glasses and earplugs or earmuffs while cutting. ### 3. Set and stake footing and slab forms near rebar - **Impalement on protruding rebar or form stakes** (High): Bend over or guard all protruding rebar; use impalement-rated rebar caps or wood troughs where anyone could fall onto it.; Drive stakes flush or cap them; check caps every morning and replace missing ones. - **Struck by hammer or sledge; hand injuries driving stakes** (Medium): Use a stake holder or puller instead of holding stakes by hand; replace hammers with loose or cracked handles.; Keep others out of swing range; wear safety glasses and gloves. - **Cave-in or falling into a footing trench** (Medium): Do not enter trenches 5 ft or deeper until the competent person confirms sloping, shoring, or a trench box.; Keep form material and spoil piles at least 2 ft back from the edge. ### 4. Erect, tie, and brace wall forms - **Falls from wall forms, form walkways, or ladders 6 ft or more** (High): Install form brackets with walkways and guardrails, or use a scaffold, before working at height.; If guardrails are not possible, use a harness and lanyard tied to an anchor approved by the competent person.; Use an extension ladder that extends 3 ft above the landing and is tied off; never climb the form ties or braces. - **Wall panels blowing over or falling before bracing** (High): Brace each panel as soon as it is stood up; do not leave unbraced panels at break or end of day.; Stop setting panels in high winds; keep workers out of the fall zone while lifting. - **Pinched or crushed hands between panels and ties** (Medium): Use pry bars and alignment tools, not hands, to line up panels and ties.; Call out before moving a panel; wear gloves. ### 5. Apply form release and inspect forms before the pour - **Skin and eye irritation from form release oil** (Low): Use a water-based release agent when available; read the SDS before use.; Spray low and downwind of yourself; wear chemical-resistant gloves and safety glasses. - **Form blowout or collapse from missing ties, braces, or weak shoring** (High): Build forms to the drawings; the competent person inspects ties, braces, and shores before every pour.; Replace split or rotten lumber and bent ties before the pour. ### 6. Watch forms during concrete placement - **Struck by pump hose whip, chute, or failing form** (High): Only workers needed for the pour stay near the forms; nobody stands behind the pump hose or in the hose whip zone.; Assign a form watcher who yells stop if forms bulge, move, or leak; have extra braces and wedges ready. - **Cement burns from wet concrete on skin or in eyes** (Medium): Keep clean water on site to rinse skin and eyes right away.; Wear waterproof gloves, rubber boots, and safety glasses; change wet clothes soaked with concrete. ### 7. Strip forms and clean up - **Panels or shores falling during stripping** (High): Strip only after the competent person confirms the concrete has reached the required strength.; Remove panels from the top down and keep people out of the area below. - **Stepping on nails and tripping over stripped lumber** (Medium): Pull or bend nails right away and stack stripped lumber out of walkways.; Pick up ties, snap-tie ends, and scraps daily; wear puncture-resistant boots. ## Required PPE - Hard hat — At all times on site. - ANSI Z87.1 safety glasses — At all times; add a face shield when spraying release agent overhead. - Leather work gloves — Handling lumber, stakes, and ties. - Waterproof or chemical-resistant gloves — Applying form release and during the pour. - Safety-toe boots, puncture-resistant — At all times; rubber boots when standing in wet concrete. - Hearing protection — Earplugs or earmuffs when running saws. - Full-body harness and lanyard — When working 6 ft or more above a lower level without guardrails. - High-visibility vest — When concrete trucks, pumps, or equipment are moving. ## Training - Fall protection training per 29 CFR 1926.503 for anyone working from form walkways or at 6 ft or more. - Ladder safety training. - Hands-on training on the circular saw and power tools used. - Hazard communication training on form release agent and wet concrete, including where to find the SDS. - A competent person trained to inspect forms, shoring, and excavations before and during work. ## Emergency If a form collapses or someone falls or is impaled: stop the pour and all work, call 911 and give the site address. Do not remove an impaled object or cut rebar out of the person unless rescuers direct you. Keep the person still, control bleeding, and send someone to meet the ambulance. ## Official sources - [29 CFR 1926.701](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.701) — Concrete and masonry — general requirements - [29 CFR 1926.703](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.703) — Requirements for cast-in-place concrete - [29 CFR 1926.501](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.501) — Duty to have fall protection - [29 CFR 1926.502](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.502) — Fall protection systems criteria and practices - [29 CFR 1926.503](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.503) — Fall protection training requirements - [29 CFR 1926.304](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.304) — Woodworking tools - [29 CFR 1926.1053](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.1053) — Ladders - [29 CFR 1926.25](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.25) — Housekeeping --- Source: HardHat Binder, operated by Leadspire LLC. Templates to be reviewed by a competent person before use; not legal advice; not affiliated with OSHA.