# Job Hazard Analysis: Conduit installation URL: https://hardhatbinder.com/en/jha/electrical/conduit-installation Last updated: 2026-10-23 Installing EMT and rigid conduit with supports in a commercial or residential building. Work includes staging 10-ft sticks, cutting, reaming, and bending; drilling anchors into concrete or masonry; mounting conduit overhead from stepladders or a scissor lift; and connecting to boxes and panels that may be near energized circuits. > 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. Walk the route, set up the work area, and inspect tools and cords. - **Contact with existing energized circuits or panels along the conduit route** (High): Identify every panel, box, and live circuit on the route before work starts and mark them.; Plan the route to keep clear of energized parts; de-energize where you must work close.; Test before touch with a rated voltage tester; treat every circuit as live until proven dead. - **Shock from damaged extension cords or power tools** (Medium): Plug all tools into GFCI protection.; Inspect cords and tools before each shift; tag and remove any with cut jackets, missing ground pins, or cracked housings. - **Tripping over cords, conduit, and debris** (Low): Run cords along walls or overhead, not across walkways.; Keep the work area clear and barricade it from other trades. ### 2. Unload, carry, and stage conduit sticks, fittings, and strut. - **Back strain from lifting bundles of rigid conduit or strut** (Medium): Use a cart, pipe dolly, or forklift for bundles; break bundles down on the truck.; Use two people for long or heavy sticks and lift with your legs. - **Striking coworkers with the ends of 10-ft sticks while carrying** (Medium): Carry long sticks on your shoulder with the front end high; look behind before turning.; Stack conduit on racks or blocking so it cannot roll. ### 3. Cut, ream, and bend conduit with a portable band saw, hacksaw, and hand or hydraulic bender. - **Cuts from the band saw blade and sharp burrs on cut ends** (Medium): Clamp conduit in a pipe vise or tri-stand; never hold short pieces by hand while cutting.; Keep saw guards in place and hands out of the blade path.; Ream every cut end right away; wear cut-resistant gloves when handling cut conduit. - **Flying metal chips into eyes** (Medium): Wear safety glasses at all times while cutting and reaming. - **Back strain, slipping bender handle, or pinch points on hydraulic bender** (Medium): Use a hydraulic or mechanical bender for conduit over 1 inch.; Bend on a flat, dry floor with firm footing; keep fingers clear of shoes and rollers. ### 4. Drill holes and set anchors in concrete or masonry with a hammer drill. - **Breathing silica dust from drilling concrete or block** (High): Use a hammer drill with a dust shroud connected to a HEPA vacuum, or a drill with built-in dust collection.; Never dry sweep or blow out holes with compressed air; vacuum them with the HEPA vac.; Follow the company silica control plan; wear a respirator if dust collection is not working. - **Drilling into embedded conduit, rebar, or post-tension cables** (High): Check drawings and have slabs scanned before drilling; stop if you hit metal and tell the foreman. - **Noise and wrist injury from drill kickback** (Medium): Use the side handle and the clutch setting; brace your body before drilling.; Wear earplugs or earmuffs while hammer drilling. ### 5. Mount strut, straps, and conduit overhead from a stepladder or scissor lift. - **Falling from a stepladder** (High): Use a scissor lift for long overhead runs instead of moving a ladder all day.; Use a fiberglass stepladder, fully opened and locked; never stand on the top cap or top step.; Keep your belt buckle between the rails and move the ladder instead of reaching. - **Falling or tipping from the scissor lift** (High): Inspect the lift before use; keep guardrails and the entry gate closed.; Check the floor for holes, slopes, and floor openings before driving; never drive elevated near edges.; Never stand on the rails or put a ladder on the platform. - **Dropped conduit, fittings, or tools striking workers below** (Medium): Barricade the area below overhead work.; Keep fittings in a bucket or pouch and wear a hard hat. ### 6. Connect conduit to boxes, enclosures, and panels. - **Shock or arc flash when making knockouts or connecting to an energized panel** (High): De-energize the panel, then lock and tag it out with your own lock before opening it.; Verify zero voltage with a tester checked on a known live source.; If the panel cannot be shut off, stop and get the foreman; only qualified workers with the right arc-rated PPE may work near live parts. - **Metal shavings from knockout punches and cuts in hands** (Low): Use a knockout punch instead of a step bit where possible; vacuum shavings out of the enclosure.; Wear safety glasses and gloves. ### 7. Clean up scrap, dust, and tools, and remove locks only when work is done. - **Cuts and trips from scrap conduit and shavings** (Low): Put scrap in a scrap bin as you go, not at the end of the day.; Clean up silica dust with the HEPA vacuum, not a broom. - **Circuits re-energized while someone is still working** (High): Each worker removes only their own lock after confirming everyone is clear and covers are back on. ## Required PPE - Safety glasses — ANSI Z87.1 with side protection, at all times. - Hard hat — Class E for electrical work, at all times on site. - Cut-resistant gloves — When cutting, reaming, and handling conduit and strut. - Hearing protection — Earplugs or earmuffs when hammer drilling or using the band saw. - Safety-toe work boots — Electrical-hazard rated, at all times. - Respirator — N95 or better only if drilling without working dust collection, per the silica plan; requires fit test. - Arc-rated clothing and insulated gloves — Only for qualified workers testing or working near energized parts. ## Training - Electrical safety and lockout/tagout training, including test-before-touch. - Ladder safety training for stepladder use. - Scissor lift operator training and authorization, with familiarization on the specific machine. - Silica hazard training and the company written silica exposure control plan. - Safe use of band saws, hammer drills, benders, and knockout punches. ## Emergency If someone is shocked, do not touch them until power is off: shut off the breaker or push them free with a dry non-conductive object. Call 911 and give the site address. Start CPR if they are not breathing and use the AED if one is on site. For a fall, do not move the worker unless there is danger; call 911 and keep them still. ## Official sources - [29 CFR 1926.416](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.416) — Electrical — general requirements - [29 CFR 1926.417](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.417) — Lockout and tagging of circuits - [29 CFR 1926.1053](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.1053) — Ladders - [29 CFR 1926.453](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.453) — Aerial lifts - [29 CFR 1926.1153](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.1153) — Respirable crystalline silica - [29 CFR 1926.300](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.300) — Hand and power tools — general requirements - [29 CFR 1926.102](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.102) — Eye and face protection - [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.