Penetrations left open because the frame is still going up
Stairwells, service voids and skylight openings are the most predictable fall hazard on a build, and covering or guarding them is treated as something to do later.
Carpentry & Framing JSA (NZ)
The trade that builds the structure everyone else works from — which means carpenters are at height on a partly built frame, around open penetrations, with the highest-energy hand tools on site.
⚖️HSWA + GRWM Regs 5–7
👷Reviewed by OH Professionals
✏️Editable .docx
NZD 99
Instant DownloadInstant download · Editable .docx
Carpentry hazards are unglamorous and constant: an unguarded stairwell opening that has been there for three days, a nail gun with the sequential trip disabled because bump firing is faster, a circular saw cut made freehand on a trestle. None of these are exotic and all of them appear repeatedly in New Zealand harm data. This JSA is written around the actual sequence of a framing job rather than a generic construction template, so the controls land where the work is.
Nail guns switched to contact fire
Bump firing is faster and it is how carpenters shoot themselves and each other. The template treats trigger mode as a control decision, not a preference.
Treated timber dust treated as sawdust
Copper-based preservatives are standard in New Zealand framing. Cutting and sanding treated timber produces a dust that warrants extraction, not just a sweep-up.
Who this is for
- Carpentry and framing contractors
- New builds, extensions and structural alterations.
- Builders running their own crews
- A task-level document to sit under the site SSSP for the framing phase.
- Fit-out and joinery installers
- Second-fix, cabinetry and interior carpentry.
- Apprentice supervision
- The step breakdown doubles as a structured briefing for a first-year on an unfamiliar task.
Roof framing at height and scaffold erection are separate tasks with their own analyses.
What's inside the template
Word — 14 pages (pre-populated JSA + tool controls + forms) · Formats: DOCX
- Section 1 — Task and scopeBuild stage, structure type, height, weather exposure, crew, and adjacent trades.
- Section 2 — Fall hazard identificationOpen edges, penetrations, stairwells, voids and unguarded floor perimeters — identified before the phase starts.
- Section 3 — Pre-populated step analysisSet out, bottom plate, stud and frame assembly, lift and stand, brace, floor and roof framing, and fixing — each with hazards and controls drafted.grwm 5
- Section 4 — Penetration and edge controlCover, guard or barricade — with a responsible person and a check that it is still in place at the end of each day.grwm 6
- Section 5 — Nail guns and powered fixingTrigger mode, disconnection before clearing, line of fire, and ricochet on hard substrates.
- Section 6 — Circular saws and cutting stationsGuard function, cut support, kickback, and setting up a cut station rather than freehanding on a trestle.
- Section 7 — Timber dust and treated timberExtraction on tools, cutting outdoors where practicable, and hygiene for preservative-treated stock.
- Section 8 — Manual handlingFrame lifts, beam placement, and the two-person and mechanical thresholds.
- Section 9 — Noise and hearingCumulative exposure across a framing day, and why intermittent tool use still adds up.
- Section 10 — Temporary stabilityBracing standing frames against wind before permanent fixing.
- Section 11 — Others on siteWorking above or below other trades, and the drop-object interface.hswa 34
- Section 12 — Pre-start and crew sign-onWeather, crew changes, and confirming yesterday's edge protection is still in place.grwm 7
- Appendix A — Penetration registerLocation, protection method, installed by, checked daily.
- Appendix B — Tool pre-use checkGuards, triggers, leads, RCD status.
Compliance checklist
HSWA 2015 ss.30, 34, 36 · GRWM Regulations 2016 regs 5–7
A Job Safety Analysis is not a named statutory document in New Zealand — unlike an Australian SWMS, no regulation requires one by that name. Its weight comes from the duties it discharges, and from the fact that main contractors and prequalification schemes treat it as the expected evidence that a high-risk task was thought through before it started.
- GRWM reg 5Identify hazards that could give rise to reasonably foreseeable risks to health and safety→ Step-by-step breakdown — hazards identified against each step rather than for the task as a whole
- GRWM reg 6Eliminate risks so far as is reasonably practicable; otherwise minimise by substitution, isolation, engineering, then administrative controls, then PPE→ Control column — every control declares its hierarchy level
- GRWM reg 7Ensure control measures are effective and maintained so they remain effective→ Verification and pre-start review sections
- HSWA s36Primary duty of care — ensure health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable→ Residual risk assessment and the sign-on record
- HSWA s34Consult, cooperate and coordinate with other PCBUs where duties overlap→ Interfacing trades section — who else is affected by this task and how it is coordinated
How this template compares
The most common alternative in New Zealand is an Australian SWMS with the branding changed. It is worth being precise about why that is a problem.
Reviewed by OH Professionals
Written and reviewed by the occupational health and safety team at OH Consultant. These are drafted as New Zealand Job Safety Analyses, not as Australian SWMS with the terminology swapped. That distinction is substantive: a SWMS is an instrument created by Australian WHS regulation for high-risk construction work, with prescribed content and a statutory trigger. New Zealand has no equivalent provision, so a document presented as a "NZ SWMS" is citing a requirement that does not exist here.
Legislation referenced
- Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 30 — Management of risks ↗
- Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 34 — Duty of PCBUs to consult, cooperate, and coordinate ↗
- Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 36 — Primary duty of care ↗
- Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016 — Regulation 5 — Duty to identify hazards ↗
- Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016 — Regulation 6 — Hierarchy of control measures ↗
- Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016 — Regulation 7 — Duty to maintain control measures ↗
Frequently asked
Why is nail gun trigger mode called out specifically?+
Because contact or bump firing allows the tool to discharge whenever the nose is depressed, including unintentionally against a hand, a leg, or another person. It is faster, which is why it is used. Section 5 treats the trigger mode as a documented control decision so that choosing speed over the sequential trip is a decision someone made rather than a default nobody noticed.
Is treated timber dust actually a hazard?+
Copper-based preservatives are standard in New Zealand framing timber, and cutting and sanding generates a dust that carries them. It warrants on-tool extraction and cutting outdoors where practicable, plus washing before eating. It is not sawdust in the ordinary sense and Section 7 treats it accordingly.
How does this relate to the Carpentry SSSP?+
The SSSP is the project-level plan a main contractor accepts before you start on site. This JSA is the task-level analysis for the framing work itself and sits underneath it. If you have the Carpentry SSSP, this is the document its task analyses index points to.
Can I use it to brief an apprentice?+
That is one of its better uses. The step breakdown in Section 3 is written at a granularity that works as a structured walk-through of an unfamiliar task, and the sign-on section records that the briefing happened.
Is a JSA the same as a SWMS?+
In substance they do the same job — break a task into steps and assign hazards and controls to each. In law they are not the same. A SWMS is an Australian instrument required by Australian WHS regulation for high-risk construction work, with prescribed content. New Zealand has no equivalent provision, which is why the NZ convention is Job Safety Analysis or Task Analysis. If a supplier is selling you a "New Zealand SWMS", they are selling you an Australian document.
Is a JSA legally required in New Zealand?+
Not by name. What is required is that you identify hazards under GRWM Regulation 5, apply controls in the hierarchy order under Regulation 6, and keep them effective under Regulation 7. A JSA is how those duties are discharged at task level, and main contractors and prequalification schemes ask for it as a matter of course.
How does this relate to my SSSP?+
The SSSP is the project-level plan covering how health and safety is managed across the whole site. Job Safety Analyses sit underneath it — one per higher-risk task. On a typical job you have one SSSP and several JSAs, and the SSSP indexes them.
Who should complete and sign it?+
Someone competent in the work, with the crew who will actually do the task involved in developing it rather than handed a finished document. The sign-on section records that involvement, which is the part that distinguishes a JSA that was used from one that was filed.
How often does it need reviewing?+
Before each use, at minimum as a pre-start check for anything that has changed — different site conditions, different plant, different crew, weather. The pre-start section exists for that. A full review is warranted after any incident involving the task, or when the method or equipment changes.
Can I edit it for my business?+
Yes — it ships as an editable .docx with a single-buyer licence covering use across your own business and its projects. It is a starting point that reflects standard practice for the task, not a substitute for assessing the specific job in front of you. It is not licensed for resale or redistribution as your own template product.