Job Hazard Analysis: Asphalt shingle installation

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. 1. Set up access, ground zone, and fall protection anchors

   • Fall from the extension ladder while climbing to the roofHigh
     • Set the ladder at a 4:1 angle on firm, level ground, and extend it 3 ft above the eave.
     • Tie off the top of the ladder to the structure before anyone climbs.
     • Keep 3 points of contact. Do not carry tools or bundles in your hands while climbing; use a hoist or rope.
     • Inspect the ladder for cracked rails, bent rungs, and bad feet before use; tag and remove damaged ladders.
   • Fall from the roof edge while installing roof anchorsHigh
     • Install roof anchors from the ladder or at the ridge first, before walking the roof.
     • Fasten anchors into rafters or trusses with the manufacturer's specified nails or screws, never into sheathing alone.
     • The competent person checks every anchor before anyone ties off.
   • Falling tools and materials hitting workers or the public belowMedium
     • Set up a barricaded drop zone with caution tape and signs below all work edges.
     • Keep homeowners, kids, and pets out of the drop zone; park vehicles away from the eaves.

2. 2. Load shingle bundles and materials onto the roof

   • Back strain from lifting and carrying 60–80 lb shingle bundlesMedium
     • Use the supplier's boom truck or a ladder hoist to put bundles on the roof instead of carrying them up the ladder.
     • Lift with your legs, keep the load close, and do not twist. Rotate workers on carrying jobs.
   • Boom truck contact with overhead power linesHigh
     • Look for power lines before delivery and keep the boom and load at least 10 ft away.
     • Assign a spotter to watch the boom and stay clear of the truck while it is lifting.
   • Bundles sliding off the roof or overloading one spotMedium
     • Lay bundles flat across the ridge or on a nailed 2x4 stop, spread out along the roof.
     • Never stack bundles near the eave or on unsupported sheathing.

3. 3. Install roof brackets, drip edge, ice and water shield, and underlayment

   • Slipping on underlayment, dew, frost, or dust and falling off the roofHigh
     • Stay tied off to an anchor with a full-body harness and rope grab whenever you are on the roof.
     • Install roof brackets with 2x planks at the eave and every few courses on steep roofs.
     • Wait for dew or frost to dry. Sweep off dust and granules before walking.
     • Wear soft rubber-soled roofing boots.
   • Rope or lanyard too long, letting you hit the ground before the fall is stoppedHigh
     • Adjust the rope grab to keep slack short and stay above the anchor when possible.
     • Inspect harness, rope, and rope grab every day; remove any with cuts, burns, or a deployed fall indicator.
   • Wind catching rolls of underlayment and pulling a worker off balanceMedium
     • Stop rolling out underlayment in strong gusts; foreman decides when wind is too high.
     • Tack down underlayment as you unroll it, working in short runs.

4. 4. Nail shingle courses with the pneumatic coil nailer

   • Nail gun puncture wounds to hands, legs, or nearby workersHigh
     • Use nailers with a sequential (single-shot) trigger, not bump/contact trigger.
     • Keep your free hand at least 12 in from the nose. Never point the nailer at anyone.
     • Disconnect the air hose before clearing jams, adjusting, or moving across the roof.
     • Wear safety glasses at all times while nailing.
   • Tripping on air hoses and lifelines and fallingMedium
     • Run hoses from the ridge down, not across walking paths, and keep them away from lifelines.
     • Keep the compressor on the ground in a shaded, ventilated spot away from the drop zone.
   • Heat illness from sun and hot shinglesHigh
     • Start early and schedule the hottest roof sections for the morning.
     • Drink 1 cup of cool water every 15–20 minutes and take breaks in the shade.
     • New and returning workers build up hours over the first week. Watch each other for dizziness, confusion, or no sweating.

5. 5. Cut shingles for valleys, rakes, and penetrations and install flashing

   • Cuts from hook-blade utility knives and metal flashing edgesMedium
     • Use hook blades, cut away from your body, and retract or cover blades when not cutting.
     • Use tin snips for step and pipe flashing and wear cut-resistant gloves.
   • Falling while working near valleys, rakes, and gable endsHigh
     • Re-anchor and shorten your lifeline before working near rake edges.
     • Do not step on loose shingle scraps; keep scraps in a bucket.
   • Contact with roof vents, electrical service mast, or overhead service dropHigh
     • Locate the service drop before starting. Keep metal flashing and tools at least 10 ft from lines.
     • Call the utility to sleeve or de-energize lines that are too close to the work.

6. 6. Install ridge cap and roof vents

   • Fall while straddling or working along the ridgeHigh
     • Stay tied off. Keep the anchor beside you, not behind the ridge where a fall would swing you.
     • Move carefully around ridge vents and cut-outs; cover open vent holes until vents are set.
   • Lightning and sudden storms while on the highest point of the roofHigh
     • Check the forecast each morning. When you hear thunder, get off the roof and into a building or hard-top vehicle.
     • Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back up.

7. 7. Clean up, remove fall protection, and lower equipment

   • Slipping on loose granules, nails, and wrappers on the roof and groundMedium
     • Pick up wrappers and scraps as you go and bag them every few hours.
     • Run a magnetic sweeper over the yard and driveway at the end of each day.
   • Fall while removing roof brackets and anchorsHigh
     • Remove brackets from the top down while still tied off. The last anchor comes off from the ladder.
     • Patch every bracket and anchor nail hole with sealant or shingle tab before leaving.
   • Dropping tools and debris onto people belowMedium
     • Lower tools by rope or hoist; throw debris only into a dumpster with a chute or a spotter.
     • Keep the drop zone taped off until everything is down.