Working-at-heights FLHA template for Canadian worksites

A working-at-heights field-level hazard assessment (FLHA) checks the exact place where a worker could fall, the controls in place today and how the crew will respond if a fall or access failure occurs. Use this blank workface form before the task and whenever the location, equipment, weather, people or method changes. It complements the formal hazard assessment, fall-protection plan, equipment instructions and rescue procedure. It does not choose an anchor, prove fall clearance or approve a platform by itself.

This template covers a broader field task than roofing: ladders, scaffold, mobile elevating work platforms, floor openings, mezzanines, tank tops and other elevated positions. CCOHS's fall-protection overview notes that a fall hazard can exist even below a common numerical threshold, especially where a person could fall into an object, water or another hazard. Exact duties vary across Canadian jurisdictions. Alberta's OHS Code Part 9 is a useful Alberta-only example: it specifies when a plan is required, what it must contain and when it must be updated. Use the law governing the actual site rather than assuming the Alberta rule applies nationally.

Location, task and people

Do not write “work at height” as the whole task. “Inspect valve above open process tank using approved platform” reveals a different fall consequence and rescue route from “install conduit from a scaffold”. Include the change points: moving a platform, opening a hatch, transferring from ladder to deck, or removing guardrails can create a new exposure that the first stage's controls did not cover.

Workface pre-start check

The CCOHS hierarchy of fall controls favours removing the need to work at height or preventing a fall through collective controls where practicable, before relying on a personal arrest system. Use the site's approved selection and local rule. “Harness available” does not tell the crew whether it is connected to a suitable anchor, whether the lanyard can arrest a fall before impact, or whether anyone can retrieve a suspended worker. Those are decisions for the competent fall plan.

Access equipment gate

Confirm that the selected ladder, scaffold or platform is designed for the task, load and surface and has been inspected under the current procedure. Check safe transfer on and off the equipment. A platform moved a few metres can have different ground bearing, power-line clearance, traffic or rescue access. Workers must be authorised and trained for the equipment and protective system as required locally. Do not substitute a makeshift platform because the correct one is unavailable. Where a lift or scaffold defect is found, tag it out according to the site's process and choose a safe method after competent review.

Anchor and clearance gate

If the approved method uses travel restraint or fall arrest, identify the exact anchor stated in the plan, equipment configuration and route of travel. CCOHS's anchor guidance discusses inspection and the importance of naming the anchors used for the work. The crew should verify that the anchor and system remain available and have no obvious damage; the competent designer determines suitability and strength under the actual law and standard. Do not copy a generic anchor rating into the FLHA. A line connected to an unverified handrail or roof feature is not automatically acceptable.

Rescue gate

The CCOHS working-at-heights rescue guide calls for site-specific procedures, responders, equipment, communications and rehearsal. Check where a fallen or stranded worker would end up, whether the rescue team can reach that point, and whether the equipment is actually on site. If the only plan is “call emergency services”, escalate before work begins; the site's competent rescue plan must consider a prompt response and safe retrieval. Record how rescuers are protected so a fall does not create another casualty.

Task-step hazard and control record

Write a checkable control. “Guardrail installed and inspected around opening A” is stronger than “avoid opening”. “MEWP on firm ground with outriggers set per manufacturer and pedestrian barrier installed” says what must be present. If a stage involves removal of protection or a transfer between systems, name the approved temporary method and release authority. An FLHA cannot create an exception to the local fall law or design requirements.

Stop-work and restart record

Record who stopped the work, when people moved to safety, who was told, what document changed, who installed and verified the new control, and when the team was rebriefed. “Supervisor notified” is not a release. Restart only under the person and process authorised by the site. Review the FLHA whenever the workface moves or a new stage changes the exposure.

Crew briefing and example

Example: An electrical crew plans to service a light from a mobile elevating work platform in a warehouse. The approved route has clear ground and no traffic. A delivery team then parks pallets on the route and opens a forklift lane beside the new platform position. The FLHA marks the moved work HOLD. The supervisor and site lead review the platform position, ground, segregation and rescue access; the delivery team changes its route. The operator rechecks the platform setup and the crew is rebriefed. The same harness and platform did not make the new location automatically safe.

Existing owner, links and Complys boundary

The live Canadian hazard-assessment guide owns the broad *how to assess* query. The Canadian tools directory is an observed broad entry point. This proposed page owns a general heights point-of-work form for varied work settings. The separate N5-236 roofing form owns roof-specific material, hot-work and deck conditions; neither should repeat the other's task detail. Verify current repository and unpublished owners before release. The manifest's /ca/hazard-assessment-software route was not confirmed live; test the exact destination and product implementation before linking. A product-safe CTA is: Ask Complys how height-task hazard records and follow-up actions can be organised with your team. Do not imply software certifies anchors, assesses fall clearance or performs rescue.

Source, claim, owner, product and writer-side QA register — 5 October 2026

Terminal writer-side disposition: READY. No Complys website or repository content was modified.