Field level hazard assessment (FLHA) form

No province names the FLHA in its regulations as far as we have found, but the duty behind it is in law. In Alberta, section 7 of the OHS Code says an employer must assess a work site and identify existing and potential hazards before work begins, prepare a report of the results and the controls, record the date on it, and repeat the assessment when a new work process is introduced or a work process or operation changes. Section 8 says affected workers must be involved. A daily FLHA is a practical way to meet those duties at a site that changes. The FLHA term itself comes from industry: Energy Safety Canada's audit protocol describes a site-specific or field level assessment done before work starts at a site, and again when conditions change.

Sources: Alberta OHS Code (AR 191/2021), Part 2: hazard assessment, elimination and control and Energy Safety Canada, COR audit protocol (site-specific and field level hazard assessment).

The formal hazard assessment is written for the job or position in advance and covers the hazards you can predict. The FLHA is done on site, on the day, for the hazards that depend on where and when the work happens, such as overhead lines, wet ground, weather or other crews nearby. The Government of Alberta's own site-specific template says to use it for new or situational hazards not addressed in your formal hazard assessment, and to review it with all workers before work starts.

Sources: Government of Alberta, site-specific hazard assessment template and Energy Safety Canada, COR audit protocol (site-specific and field level hazard assessment).

Section 9 of the Alberta OHS Code sets the order: eliminate the hazard; if that is not reasonably practicable, control it with engineering controls; if that is not enough, administrative controls; and if the hazard still is not controlled, personal protective equipment. A combination can be used where it gives a greater level of safety. The form asks which kind each control is and warns when a hazard relies on PPE alone. Federally regulated workplaces follow Part XIX of the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, which lists PPE before administrative procedures.

Sources: Alberta OHS Code (AR 191/2021), Part 2: hazard assessment, elimination and control and Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, Part XIX (federal workplaces).

Whenever the job or the conditions change: the task or scope changes, a new worker joins the crew, the weather or ground changes, equipment changes, after a break or stop, or after an incident or near miss. The form lists those triggers at the top of the second page, and each re-assessment records the time, what changed, the new hazards and controls, and initials, so the card shows how the job actually went.

Source: Alberta OHS Code (AR 191/2021), Part 2: hazard assessment, elimination and control.

Yes, as a site record. The BC OHS Regulation does not use the term FLHA; it requires regular inspections of workplaces, equipment and work methods at intervals that prevent unsafe conditions (section 3.5), and WorkSafeBC asks employers to do a risk assessment for each workplace and review it when new equipment, materials or processes come in. An FLHA done at the start of each job is one way to record that on site.

Sources: BC OHS Regulation, Part 3 (inspections) and WorkSafeBC, Assessing risks.

Everyone on the crew signs on to say they took part and understand the controls, and the supervisor reviews and signs it at the end of the shift. In the SiteSurvey app the card works offline, with photos against each hazard, and the completed FLHA is kept with the job as a PDF or a link.