Loading and Unloading Materials JHA (Job Hazard Analysis / Activity Hazard Analysis)
Updated 2026-06-23
A Loading and Unloading Materials JHA (Job Hazard Analysis / Activity Hazard Analysis) is the plan that keeps the crew working trucks and laydown yards from being struck by shifting loads, falling off trailers, or being caught between equipment and materials. Loading and unloading is constant on every project and is dismissed as routine — yet it puts workers around heavy loads being lifted, on top of and beside trailers, and in the path of forklifts and trucks. This guide walks through building a Loading and Unloading Materials JHA that names the struck-by, fall-from-trailer, and load-shift hazards and assigns the rigging, access, and separation controls that hold up in the field.
Why loading and unloading need their own JHA
Loading and unloading materials means receiving and dispatching trucks, lifting loads on and off with forklifts and cranes, securing and releasing loads, and moving materials in the laydown yard. The hazards are easy to underestimate because the task is so frequent. Loads shift or fall during lifting and when restraints are released. Workers climb on and off trailers and fall. Materials are stacked and can topple. Forklifts and trucks operate around workers on foot. And the interface between the vehicle, the lifting equipment, and the workers is where people get caught and struck. The frequency and the struck-by/caught-between hazard profile justify a dedicated JHA.
Breaking loading and unloading into steps
The steps for a Loading and Unloading Materials JHA follow the task from arrival to dispatch:
- Position and secure the truck (chock, brake, stable surface)
- Assess the load and plan the lift or unload sequence
- Release load restraints in a controlled manner
- Lift or move materials with forklift, crane, or by hand
- Manage workers on and around the trailer
- Stack or stage materials stably in the laydown yard
- Secure outgoing loads for transport
- Clear the area and dispatch the truck
Each step carries a hazard, and the restraint release, the trailer access, and the lifting are where injuries concentrate.
The hazards step by step
Load shift and falling materials
Loads shift during transport and can fall when restraints are released or during lifting. A worker releasing a strap or chain on a load that has shifted can be struck by the material as it falls off the trailer. The controls are assessing the load before releasing restraints, standing clear of the load when releasing straps and chains (releasing from the side, anticipating that the load may have shifted), using controlled lifting with rated rigging, and not standing under or in the fall path of suspended or unrestrained loads.
Falls from trailers and equipment
Workers climb onto trailers, flatbeds, and loads to rig, unstrap, and access materials, and falls from these heights are a common injury. The controls are providing safe access (ladders, platforms, or fall-protection systems where required for the height and configuration), minimizing the need to climb on loads, and not jumping down from trailers. Where workers must be on top of a load or trailer at height, fall protection is provided.
Struck-by forklifts and trucks
Loading and unloading involves forklifts and trucks operating around workers on foot, creating struck-by and caught-between hazards. The controls are separating workers from operating equipment, spotters and communication between operators and ground workers, keeping clear of the area between a forklift/load and a fixed object (caught-between), and high-visibility apparel.
Stacking and storage stability
Materials stacked unstably in the laydown yard can topple onto workers. The controls are stable stacking within safe height limits, blocking and chocking round and rolling materials (pipe, conduit), and stacking on level ground.
A simple Loading and Unloading Materials JHA structure
| Step | Hazard | Control | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Position truck | Roll / shift | Chock wheels, set brake, stable level surface | OSHA 1926.600 |
| Release restraints | Load fall / struck-by | Assess load, stand clear, release from the side | OSHA 1926.250 |
| Access trailer | Fall from height | Safe access, fall protection where required, no jumping | OSHA 1926.501 |
| Lift materials | Dropped load | Rated rigging, controlled lift, clear of load | OSHA 1926.251 |
| Equipment around crew | Struck-by / caught-between | Separate traffic, spotter, clear of pinch points | OSHA 1926.602 |
| Stack and store | Toppling | Stable stacks, height limits, block rolling materials | OSHA 1926.250(a) |
The restraint release and the equipment interface
A Loading and Unloading Materials JHA gives particular attention to two moments. The first is the restraint release — the instant a worker undoes a strap or chain on a load that may have shifted in transit is when material falls off a trailer onto them, and the control is to assess the load, stand clear, and release from the side anticipating movement. The second is the equipment interface — the struck-by and caught-between hazards where forklifts and trucks operate around workers on foot, controlled by separation, spotters, and keeping clear of pinch points between equipment, loads, and fixed objects. A JHA that controls the restraint release and the equipment interface addresses the two points where loading and unloading most often injures people.
From the field: what actually goes wrong
In fourteen years across federal, heavy civil, and industrial projects, loading and unloading is one of the most underestimated hazards precisely because it happens dozens of times a day and feels routine. The injuries I see most are workers struck by loads that shifted in transit and fell when the restraints came off, and workers who fell off trailers. The restraint-release injury is preventable by treating every load as if it has shifted — standing clear, releasing straps and chains from the side, and never positioning the body where the load would fall. Drivers and crews who have unstrapped a thousand loads without incident get casual about it, and the one load that shifted is the one that falls on them.
The fall-from-trailer hazard is the other constant. Workers climb onto flatbeds and loads to rig and unstrap, and falls from that height — onto the ground or onto materials — cause serious injuries. On the projects I have run, the controls that help are providing real access rather than having workers scramble up and down loads, minimizing the need to be on top of a load at all, and never jumping down from a trailer. The equipment interface rounds it out: forklifts and trucks working around people on foot need separation and spotters, and the caught-between hazard — a worker pinned between a forklift or load and a fixed object — is as deadly as any struck-by. The JHA that controls the restraint release, provides trailer access, and manages the equipment interface is the one that keeps the routine task from becoming the injury.
The bottom line
A Loading and Unloading Materials JHA names the struck-by, the fall-from-trailer, and the load-shift hazards with specific controls — assessing loads and standing clear when releasing restraints, safe trailer access and fall protection, rated rigging, and separation from equipment. The task is constant and underestimated, which is exactly why it injures so many. The JHA that respects the restraint release and the equipment interface is the one that keeps the yard crew safe.
Frequently asked questions
Why is releasing load restraints dangerous?
A load can shift during transport, and the instant a worker undoes a strap or chain is when material falls off a trailer onto them. Every load is treated as if it has shifted — the worker assesses the load, stands clear, and releases straps and chains from the side, never positioning the body where the load would fall.
How are falls from trailers prevented?
By providing safe access such as ladders or platforms, minimizing the need to climb on loads, using fall protection where required for the height and configuration, and never jumping down from a trailer. Falls from trailers and loads are a common loading-and-unloading injury.
What is the caught-between hazard during loading?
Forklifts and trucks operating around workers on foot create caught-between hazards, where a worker is pinned between equipment or a load and a fixed object. Controls are separating workers from operating equipment, spotters, and keeping clear of the pinch points between equipment, loads, and fixed objects.
How should materials be stacked in the laydown yard?
Stably, within safe height limits, on level ground, with round and rolling materials such as pipe and conduit blocked and chocked so they cannot roll or topple onto workers.
Related JHAs
- Forklift Operation JHA — the forklift work central to loading and unloading
- Material Handling JHA — manual handling and stacking of materials
- Lifting and Rigging JHA — crane and rigging lifts off trucks
- Heavy Equipment Operation JHA — equipment operating in the laydown yard
Written by Mustafa Tok, CSP, ASP, CHST — OSHA Authorized Outreach Trainer with 14+ years of international construction safety experience across federal, heavy civil, and industrial projects.