Silica treated as nuisance dust
Dry cutting a slab is one of the highest silica exposures in construction. Water suppression and on-tool extraction are engineering controls and they come before respiratory protection, not instead of it.
Concreting JSA (NZ)
Three distinct risk profiles in one trade — wet concrete and pump lines during the pour, respirable silica during cutting and grinding, and suspended mass during precast and tilt panel work.
⚖️HSWA + GRWM Regs 5–7
👷Reviewed by OH Professionals
✏️Editable .docx
NZD 99
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Concreting is usually written up as a manual handling and slip hazard, which misses both of the things most likely to cause serious or lasting harm. Cutting, grinding and breaking cured concrete releases respirable crystalline silica, and the resulting disease is irreversible. Precast and tilt panel work involves suspended loads measured in tonnes with a small exclusion zone and a short window in which temporary propping is doing all the work. This JSA separates the three phases so the controls match the actual risk of each.
Pump line blockages cleared under pressure
A blocked line holds stored energy. Clearing it without depressurising is how hoses whip and end fittings become projectiles.
Temporary propping treated as a formality
Between landing a panel and permanent connection, the props are the structure. Their design, installation and the ban on removing them early belong in the analysis.
Who this is for
- Concreting contractors
- Slabs, footings, driveways, and placement and finishing work.
- Concrete cutting and grinding operators
- Sawing, coring, grinding and surface preparation, where silica is the dominant risk.
- Precast and tilt panel installers
- Lifting, landing, propping and connection.
- Builders pouring their own slabs
- Residential foundation and slab work.
Formwork at height, excavation for footings, and crane operations each carry their own analysis.
What's inside the template
Word — 16 pages (three-phase JSA + silica controls + forms) · Formats: DOCX
- Section 1 — Task and scopeWhich phases apply, pour volume, placement method, access, weather window and crew.
- Section 2 — Phase 1: placement and finishingStep analysis for delivery, placement, screeding, floating and curing.grwm 5
- Section 3 — Wet concrete exposureAlkaline burns through boots and gloves, dermatitis, and eye splash — the injuries that come from prolonged contact rather than a single event.
- Section 4 — Pumping and line controlSet-up, outrigger loading, line restraint, blockage procedure requiring depressurisation, and the exclusion zone at the placing end.
- Section 5 — Plant and trafficTruck movements, reversing, spotter, and the interface between plant and people on a live pour.
- Section 6 — Phase 2: cutting, grinding and breakingStep analysis for saw cutting, coring, grinding and demolition breaking of cured concrete.
- Section 7 — Respirable crystalline silica controlsWater suppression and on-tool extraction first, enclosure and exclusion second, respiratory protection last. Includes housekeeping — dry sweeping prohibited.grwm 6
- Section 8 — Health monitoringWhere silica exposure triggers monitoring obligations, and who arranges it.grwm 9
- Section 9 — Phase 3: precast and tilt panelStep analysis for lift planning, rigging, lift, land, prop and connect.
- Section 10 — Lifting and suspended loadLift plan, insert verification, rigging inspection, exclusion zone, tag lines, and nobody under the load.
- Section 11 — Temporary proppingProp design, installation, inspection, and the prohibition on early removal before permanent connection is certified.grwm 7
- Section 12 — Noise and vibrationCutting and breaking exposure, and hand-arm vibration on prolonged grinding.
- Section 13 — Others on siteExclusion during lifts and cutting, and coordination with adjacent trades.hswa 34
- Section 14 — Pre-start and crew sign-onWeather, plant condition, and crew changes.
- Appendix A — Silica control selection guideTask against control — which method suits which cutting operation.
- Appendix B — Lift plan formPanel weight, rigging, crane, exclusion zone, propping and sign-off.
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 ↗
- Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016 — Regulation 9 — Health monitoring ↗
- AS/NZS 1715 — Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment ↗
Frequently asked
Why is silica given so much weight in a concreting JSA?+
Because it causes irreversible lung disease and the exposure is routine rather than exceptional. Dry cutting, grinding and breaking cured concrete generates respirable crystalline silica at levels far above what a dust mask alone controls. It is the health risk in this trade most likely to shorten a working life, and it is the one most often reduced to a line about wearing a mask.
Is water suppression enough on its own?+
It is a substantial reduction and it is the right first control, but it is not automatically sufficient — effectiveness depends on water reaching the cutting interface at an adequate rate, and it does not help with the dry residue afterwards. Section 7 combines suppression or extraction with enclosure, exclusion and a prohibition on dry sweeping, then respiratory protection as the last layer.
Does wet concrete really cause burns?+
Yes, and they are worse than most people expect because they are painless at first. Wet concrete is strongly alkaline and prolonged skin contact — kneeling in it, concrete inside a boot, a glove that has taken up slurry — can cause deep chemical burns over hours. Section 3 covers it because it is consistently under-controlled.
What is the most dangerous moment in tilt panel work?+
The period between landing the panel and completing the permanent connection, when temporary props are the only thing holding a multi-tonne element upright. Section 11 covers prop design, installation and the prohibition on early removal, because props removed to get access is a recurring cause of panel collapse.
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.