COURSE OVERVIEW:

Welcome to the Job Safety Analysis & Task Risk Assessment for Scaffolding Work course. This training will provide you with the knowledge and practical tools required to conduct thorough job safety analyses (JSAs) and task risk assessments specifically for scaffolding operations.

As a high-risk trade within the construction sector, scaffolding requires meticulous planning to identify hazards, assess risks, and implement effective control measures. The JSA process is not only a compliance requirement under WHS legislation—it is a frontline defence against injuries, near misses, and scaffold-related incidents. This program is designed to support you in embedding risk assessment into daily operations to ensure safe, efficient, and legally compliant scaffolding work.

This course begins by explaining the purpose and benefits of JSAs and task-specific risk assessments in scaffolding environments. Participants will learn the legal obligations that underpin these practices and distinguish between JSAs, general risk assessments, and Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS). Understanding these tools is essential to controlling risks and fulfilling WHS responsibilities.

Scaffolding is legally classified as high-risk work under Australian WHS legislation. This section outlines the specific hazards inherent to scaffold erection, alteration, use, and dismantling. Real-world examples of incidents resulting from poor risk planning are explored to highlight the consequences of inadequate analysis and the critical importance of a structured risk management approach.

Knowing when and why to conduct a JSA is vital to scaffold safety. This section explains the requirement for pre-job assessments, conditions that trigger a revised JSA, and both employer and worker responsibilities for initiating risk assessments when work conditions change or new hazards emerge.

A collaborative approach to JSAs ensures better outcomes. This section focuses on how to assemble a JSA team that includes scaffolders, supervisors, WHS personnel, and relevant trades. Actively involving those performing the task fosters greater engagement and builds shared responsibility for site safety.

Clear understanding of the job scope is a foundational step. This section outlines how to review scaffold designs, site plans, and instructions to clarify the type of task—whether it's erecting, inspecting, modifying, or dismantling—and to confirm work locations, timeframes, and potential trade interactions.

Breaking the job down into manageable steps supports accurate risk identification. This section teaches how to sequence scaffold tasks logically, group related activities, and identify tools, materials, and equipment used during each stage to better assess associated hazards.

Each step must be assessed for hazards. This section covers how to identify physical, environmental, and procedural risks using visual inspections, experience-based knowledge, and formal checklists. Attention is given to dynamic site conditions like weather, confined space work, and traffic hazards.

Assessing risk involves more than recognising hazards—it requires structured analysis. This section explains how to use likelihood and consequence ratings, apply a risk matrix, and prioritise hazards that present serious threats, such as working at heights, falling objects, or live services.

Control measures must be effective and site-appropriate. This section introduces the Hierarchy of Control and guides participants in selecting and documenting practical controls for each hazard, from elimination and substitution to engineering controls, administrative practices, and PPE.

Translating JSA findings into Safe Work Method Statements is critical for compliance. This section shows how to use JSA outputs to create or update scaffold-specific SWMS, ensuring documents reflect the actual work conditions and include adequate detail for legal and operational purposes.

PPE requirements must align with identified risks. This section details how to verify and assign correct PPE—such as helmets, harnesses, gloves, and boots—and ensure their compatibility with scaffold activities, particularly when working at height or handling heavy materials.

Scaffold worksites are dynamic, and conditions change. This section focuses on identifying emerging hazards during the job, revising JSAs as needed, and communicating those changes effectively to all team members to ensure continued control over risks.

Supervisors must ensure JSA procedures are followed. This section provides techniques for monitoring worker compliance, conducting spot checks, coaching scaffolders, and maintaining situational awareness to detect any deviation from the planned safe work process.

Documentation of the JSA process is required under WHS regulations. This section explains how to complete JSA templates correctly, obtain sign-off from all participants before work begins, and retain documentation for auditing, inspection, and incident review purposes.

Incidents and near misses must be used to strengthen future risk planning. This section covers how to review whether JSA steps were followed, update future assessments based on findings, and conduct root cause analysis to prevent recurrence and enhance team awareness.

Closing out the JSA includes reviewing control effectiveness. This section provides a framework for evaluating whether safety measures worked as intended, recording unresolved risks, and submitting final documentation into the site's safety system or management platform.

Training underpins the effective use of JSAs. This section addresses how to provide scaffolders with JSA training through toolbox talks, practical demonstrations, and mentorship, and how to assess competency through supervision and periodic review.

A strong safety culture makes JSA usage routine. This final section focuses on encouraging all scaffold team members to identify hazards proactively, acknowledge and reward safe behaviours, and embed the use of JSAs into the daily rhythm of scaffold operations and decision-making.

By the end of this course, you will be equipped with the tools, techniques, and regulatory insight to conduct thorough Job Safety Analyses and task risk assessments—ensuring scaffolding activities are carried out with foresight, control, and a deep commitment to team safety and compliance.

Each section is complemented with examples to illustrate the concepts and techniques discussed.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand the following topics:

1. Introduction to JSA and Task Risk Assessment

• Purpose and benefits of JSAs and task risk assessments
• Legal and regulatory requirements under WHS legislation
• Differences between JSAs, SWMS, and general risk assessments

2. Scaffolding as High-Risk Work

• What qualifies as high-risk scaffolding activities
• Hazards unique to scaffold erection, use, and dismantling
• Examples of scaffold-related incidents due to inadequate risk planning

3. When and Why to Conduct a JSA for Scaffolding

• Pre-job JSA requirements for high-risk activities
• Situations triggering a new or revised JSA
• Employer and worker responsibilities for initiating a JSA

4. Assembling the JSA Team

• Involving scaffolders, supervisors, WHS officers, and relevant trades
• Ensuring those performing the task contribute to the assessment
• Encouraging participation to build safety ownership

5. Understanding the Scaffolding Job Scope

• Reviewing work instructions, scaffold designs, and site plans
• Identifying the task type: erect, alter, inspect, or dismantle
• Confirming work zones, timeframes, and trade interfaces

6. Breaking the Job into Logical Steps

• Outlining each stage of the scaffolding task sequentially
• Grouping related tasks but avoiding oversimplification
• Identifying equipment, tools, and resources used in each step

7. Identifying Hazards in Each Task Step

• Recognising physical, environmental, and procedural hazards
• Considering dynamic risks such as weather or site congestion
• Using checklists and visual inspections to detect less obvious risks

8. Assessing the Level of Risk

• Using likelihood and consequence to determine risk level
• Applying a risk matrix to categorise severity
• Prioritising controls for high-risk activities

9. Determining Appropriate Control Measures

• Applying the Hierarchy of Control: eliminate, substitute, engineer, administer, PPE
• Selecting practical, site-appropriate controls for each hazard
• Integrating controls that support scaffold safety and efficiency

10. Implementing Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS)

• Translating JSA outcomes into scaffold-specific SWMS
• Ensuring SWMS reflect current hazards and site conditions
• Linking JSAs to formal documentation for compliance and recordkeeping

11. Verifying PPE Requirements

• Specifying required PPE per task and risk level
• Checking harnesses, helmets, gloves, and safety boots
• Ensuring compatibility with scaffold activities

12. Managing Changes During the Job

• Identifying and responding to evolving risks during scaffolding work
• Updating JSAs in response to environmental or procedural changes
• Communicating changes to all scaffold team members

13. Monitoring and Supervising JSA Implementation

• Supervisors’ role in verifying compliance with the JSA
• Spot checks, coaching, and addressing unsafe behaviours
• Maintaining real-time awareness of conditions and risk exposure

14. Recording and Documenting JSA Activities

• Completing JSA templates clearly and legibly
• Retaining documentation for audit, inspection, and future reference
• Ensuring all involved parties sign off before starting work

15. Responding to Incidents or Near Misses

• Reviewing whether JSA steps were followed
• Updating future JSAs to reflect learnings
• Reporting and investigating for root cause and prevention

16. Reviewing and Closing Out the JSA

• Evaluating the effectiveness of control measures used
• Recording outcomes, improvements, and unresolved issues
• Finalising documentation and submitting to the site safety system

17. Training and Competency in JSA Processes

• Ensuring scaffolders are trained in JSA participation and development
• Conducting toolbox talks and practical workshops
• Verifying competency through supervision and periodic review

18. Promoting a Safety Culture Through Risk Awareness

• Encouraging ongoing hazard identification by all team members
• Recognising proactive safety behaviours and engagement
• Embedding JSA use into daily scaffolding operations

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.

COURSE DELIVERY:

Purchase and download course content.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.