Dismantling treated as erection in reverse
It is not. Components are being removed from beneath and beside people, ties come out before the lift does, and the temptation to drop rather than lower is strongest at the end of a job.
Scaffolding JSA (NZ)
Erection, alteration and dismantling as their own task — because the scaffolder is exposed to fall risk during the period when the fall protection does not yet exist, and dismantling is where most scaffold incidents happen.
⚖️HSWA + GRWM Regs 5–7
👷Reviewed by OH Professionals
✏️Editable .docx
NZD 99
Instant DownloadInstant download · Editable .docx
Scaffolding is the control everyone else relies on, which makes it easy to forget that the people building it are working at height without it. The risk is concentrated in three places — the leading edge during erection, any alteration made by someone who is not a scaffolder, and dismantling, where the structure is being progressively removed while people are still standing on it. This JSA treats those as distinct phases rather than one activity called "scaffolding".
Other trades alter the scaffold
A tie removed to get a window in, a board lifted for access, a handrail taken off for a lift. Unauthorised alteration is a leading cause of scaffold collapse and the control is access to the Scafftag, not goodwill.
Notification at 5m gets missed on the erect
Erecting or dismantling scaffolding with a risk of falling 5 metres or more is separately listed as particular hazardous work requiring 24 hours notice.
Who this is for
- Scaffolding contractors
- Erection, alteration and dismantling on commercial and residential work.
- Main contractors
- Verify the scaffold JSA before erection, and control alteration during the job.
- Builders erecting light-duty scaffold
- Where the work is within the unrestricted range, the analysis and competence limits still apply.
- Trades using scaffold
- The handover, inspection and no-alteration sections apply to you as the user, not just the erector.
Working from a completed scaffold is a different task to building one. Mobile platforms and EWPs are separate again.
What's inside the template
Word — 15 pages (three-phase JSA + handover + inspection records) · Formats: DOCX
- Section 1 — Task and scopeStructure type, duty rating, height, ground conditions, adjacent hazards, and the phases covered.
- Section 2 — Competence and certificate scopeCertificate of Competence class held against the work proposed, and where the work exceeds it.
- Section 3 — Notification checkWhether erection or dismantling carries a risk of falling 5 metres or more.
- Section 4 — Foundations and groundBearing capacity, sole plates, excavations and services beneath, and slope.
- Section 5 — Phase 1: erectionStep analysis for the erect, including leading-edge protection and the sequence that keeps advance guard rail ahead of the work.grwm 5
- Section 6 — Phase 2: alteration in serviceWho may alter, authorisation, tie replacement, and reinstating the tag.
- Section 7 — Phase 3: dismantlingStep analysis for the strip, with tie removal sequence, no free-dropping, and controlled lowering.
- Section 8 — Ties and stabilityTie pattern, substrate suitability, testing, and what happens when a tie point is refused.
- Section 9 — Materials handlingRaising and lowering components, gin wheels, exclusion below, and manual handling of transoms and boards.
- Section 10 — Public and site interfaceExclusion zones, overhead protection, and coordination with other trades and the public.hswa 34
- Section 11 — Weather and stop-workWind thresholds during erection and dismantle, and the named person who stops the work.
- Section 12 — Handover and taggingHandover certificate, tag status, duty rating communicated, and the user's inspection obligation.grwm 7
- Section 13 — Pre-start and crew sign-onDaily conditions and crew changes.
- Appendix A — Scaffold handover certificateCompleted at handover, signed by erector and receiving PCBU.
- Appendix B — Scaffold inspection recordPeriodic and post-event inspections with defect and rectification tracking.
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
When is scaffolding work notifiable to WorkSafe?+
Erecting or dismantling scaffolding from which a person could fall 5 metres or more is listed as particular hazardous work and requires at least 24 hours notice. Note this is separate from the general construction fall category — the scaffolding entry is its own line, and Section 3 checks it explicitly.
Does this cover the Certificate of Competence requirement?+
Section 2 records the certificate class held against the work proposed and flags where the proposed work exceeds it. The JSA documents that check; it does not confer competence, and the certificate requirements themselves sit outside this document.
Why is dismantling separated from erection?+
Because the hazard profile is different and worse. During dismantle, components are removed from around and beneath people who are still on the structure, ties come out while height remains, and there is schedule pressure to drop components rather than lower them. Treating it as erection in reverse is how scaffolders get hurt.
What if another trade alters our scaffold?+
That is one of the leading causes of scaffold failure, and Section 6 sets the control: alteration only by a competent scaffolder, the tag changed to reflect the status, and the structure re-inspected before it goes back into service. The handover certificate in Appendix A is where the receiving PCBU acknowledges that.
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.