Insights
What Is a Field Level Hazard Assessment?
A Field Level Hazard Assessment (FLHA) is a short, on-site check completed by the worker doing a task, immediately before starting it, to identify the hazards present that day and the controls in place for them. It's one of the most commonly required - and most commonly done wrong - documents in a Canadian safety program.
Published 11 Aug 2026 · The On-Track Team
5 min readKey Takeaways
- An FLHA is completed by the worker doing the task, on site, immediately before starting - not by a supervisor in advance.
- It should be redone whenever the task, location, crew, or conditions change, typically at the start of every shift.
- FLHA, JHA, and JSA are related but distinct: FLHA is task- and moment-specific; JHA/JSA are pre-written reference documents covering a job in general.
- Generic, identical-looking FLHAs across many days are one of the most common COR/SECOR audit findings.
- Digital FLHAs are accepted by every major certifying partner, provided the record is time-stamped and tied to the actual worker and task.
1. What an FLHA covers
A compliant FLHA form identifies: the task being performed, the date, time, and location, the worker(s) completing it, the specific hazards present (equipment, environment, terrain, weather, nearby work), the control for each hazard identified, and a sign-off confirming the worker is proceeding only once the hazards are controlled. Some provinces and certifying partners add fields for PPE confirmation, permits required, or an emergency-contact reminder.
Terminology note
2. FLHA vs JHA vs JSA
A JHA (Job Hazard Analysis) or JSA (Job Safety Analysis) is typically written in advance by a supervisor or safety coordinator, breaking a recurring job down step by step with the hazards and controls for each step. It's a standing reference document, often reused across many crews and many days for the same type of work.
An FLHA is the worker's own moment-of-execution check: given today's actual conditions, on this actual site, right now - are the hazards the JHA anticipated still the whole picture, or has something changed? A mature safety program uses both together: the JHA as the plan, the FLHA as the worker confirming the plan still holds.
3. When one is required
As a general rule: at the start of every shift, and again whenever the task, crew, location, or conditions change materially during the day. A new hazard appearing, a weather shift, a different crew taking over the same task, or moving to a new area of the site are all standard triggers for a fresh FLHA rather than relying on the one completed that morning.
4. Common audit findings
The gap we see most often reviewing evidence for COR and SECOR audits isn't a missing FLHA program - it's a weak one. The same three boxes checked on every form regardless of the actual task, forms clearly completed in a batch by one person rather than by each crew, or a single form covering an entire week. Auditors are specifically trained to spot this pattern, and a hazard-assessment element that looks complete on paper but doesn't hold up to that scrutiny is one of the most common reasons an otherwise strong program scores below the pass threshold.
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See safety manual options5. Frequently asked
What's the difference between an FLHA and a JHA or JSA?
An FLHA (Field Level Hazard Assessment) is completed by the worker(s) doing the task, on site, immediately before the work starts - it's task- and moment-specific. A JHA (Job Hazard Analysis) or JSA (Job Safety Analysis) is a broader, pre-written document created by a supervisor or safety coordinator that breaks a job down into steps and hazards ahead of time, then gets referenced on site. Many companies use both: the JHA/JSA as the standing reference document, and the FLHA as the worker's own daily sign-off confirming the conditions on site that day match what was planned for. Terminology varies by province and certifying partner - some call the same document an FHA, a Take 5, or simply a Hazard Assessment - the underlying requirement is consistent.
How often does an FLHA need to be completed?
Best practice, and what most COR and SECOR protocols expect, is a new FLHA whenever the task, location, crew, or conditions change - typically at the start of every shift, and again whenever something material shifts mid-shift (new hazard appears, weather changes, a different crew takes over). A single FLHA covering an entire week or an entire crew regardless of task is a common audit finding auditors flag as insufficient.
Who is responsible for filling one out?
The worker or workers actually performing the task complete the FLHA themselves, not a supervisor filling it out on their behalf after the fact. This is one of the most common gaps auditors find: FLHAs that exist in the file but were clearly completed in batches by one person rather than by each crew on site. A supervisor should review and be available to intervene if a worker identifies a hazard they can't control themselves, but the assessment itself is a worker-level document.
What happens if FLHAs aren't being done, or aren't done properly?
In a COR or SECOR audit, missing or superficial FLHAs (the same three boxes checked on every form, no site-specific detail) score as a significant gap under the hazard assessment element, and a low score in any single element can fail the whole audit regardless of the overall total. Beyond the audit, it's also the practical gap that shows up in incident investigations - a missing or generic FLHA is one of the first things WCB and Crown investigators look for after a serious incident.
Can FLHAs be done digitally instead of on paper?
Yes, and most certifying partners accept digital FLHAs the same as paper ones, provided the record is time-stamped, tied to the worker and the task, and retrievable for audit. Digital forms (through a system like SiteDocs) also make it much easier to prove the assessment was actually completed on site, on that day, rather than filled out later from memory - which is exactly the gap auditors are trained to look for.