Metal Frames AHA (Activity Hazard Analysis / Job Hazard Analysis)

Updated 2026-06-23

A Metal Frames AHA (Activity Hazard Analysis / Job Hazard Analysis) is the plan that keeps the crew installing metal frames safe from the metal frame handling and installation, from the frame anchoring and tools, and around the at-height wall opening fall. Metal frames installs metal door/opening frames — combining the metal-frame- handling and installation hazard, the frame-anchoring and tool hazard, and the at-height-wall-opening-fall hazard. This guide walks through building a Metal Frames AHA that names the metal-frame-handling/installation, frame- anchoring/tool, and at-height-wall-opening-fall hazards and assigns the handling, anchoring, and fall controls that hold up in the field.

Why metal frames needs its own AHA

Metal frames is the installation of metal door/opening frames — the metal frames (the metal (steel/aluminum) frames set into the wall openings for doors, borrowed lites, and other openings, anchored and secured into the wall, before the door leaves or fill are installed). This continues the doors-and-frames group, focused on the frames alone. The defining feature is that metal frames are the frame-only installation — set and anchored into the wall openings — so the hazards are handling and installing the metal frames (metal frames — the handling, pinch/crush, and sharp-edge hazards), anchoring the frames (frame anchors/fasteners into the wall — the anchoring and tool hazards, with masonry/concrete drilling a silica-dust concern), and working at the wall openings at height. The hazards combine the metal-frame-handling and installation (handling and installing the metal frames — the handling, crush, and sharp-edge hazards), the frame-anchoring and tool (anchoring the frames — the anchoring and tool hazards), the at-height-wall-opening-fall (working at the openings — the fall hazards), and the eye. The metal- frame-handling/installation and the frame-anchoring/tool justify a dedicated AHA.

Breaking metal frames into steps

The steps for a Metal Frames AHA follow the work:

Review the frame schedule and materials (safety data)
Set up opening access and fall protection
Protect the wall openings (fall)
Position and set the metal frames in the openings
Anchor and secure the frames (drilling/fastening)
Manage the handling, anchoring, and fall hazards
Complete

Each step carries a hazard, and the metal-frame-handling/installation, the frame-anchoring/tool, and the at-height- wall-opening-fall are where the most significant risks concentrate.

The hazards step by step

Metal-frame-handling and installation

Handling and installing the metal frames — the handling, crush, and sharp-edge hazards. The controls are metal- frame-handling and installation controls (metal (steel/aluminum) frames — handling them (manual handling, the pinch/crush hazard of the frame members, the sharp metal edges — cut/laceration, and the frames can be long/ awkward) and installing them (positioning and setting the frames in the openings — the crush of positioning, and holding/bracing the frames plumb and square during setting — the strain and the frame tipping if not braced)), and the handling/installation controls. The metal-frame-handling/installation is the primary defining hazard — handling and setting the metal frames carries handling, crush, and sharp-edge hazards. (These follow the material-handling fundamentals.)

Frame-anchoring and tool

Anchoring the frames — the anchoring and tool hazards. The controls are frame-anchoring and tool controls (anchoring and securing the metal frames into the wall openings — frame anchors and fasteners into the wall (masonry, concrete, or framing — the fastening and any drilling, with masonry/concrete drilling a silica-dust concern), and the anchoring/fastening tools — the tool hazards), and the anchoring/tool controls. The frame- anchoring/tool is a defining hazard — anchoring the frames carries anchoring and tool hazards. (These follow the fastening and silica fundamentals.)

At-height-wall-opening-fall

Working at the openings — the fall hazards. The controls are at-height-wall-opening-fall controls (metal frames are set in wall openings throughout the building — a wall opening at height (an upper-floor or elevated opening) is a fall hazard until the frame and fill are installed and the opening is controlled, so fall protection at the openings, opening protection, and safe access), and the fall/opening controls. The at-height-wall-opening-fall is a defining hazard — wall openings are fall hazards. (These follow the fall-protection fundamentals.)

Eye

The eye (metal handling, drilling, fastening) carries the eye hazard. The controls are eye protection (metal-frame handling, drilling debris, and fastening — full eye protection), and the eye controls. (These follow the eye- protection fundamentals.)

A simple Metal Frames AHA structure

Step	Hazard	Control	Standard
Review schedule	Handling	Review the frame schedule and materials (safety data)	OSHA 1926.59
Access/fall	Fall	Set up opening access and fall protection	OSHA 1926.501
Protect openings	Fall	Protect the wall openings (fall)	OSHA 1926.501
Set frames	Crush / edge	Position and set the metal frames in the openings	project
Anchor	Silica / tool	Anchor and secure the frames (drilling/fastening)	OSHA 1926.1153
Manage	Handling / fall	Manage the handling, anchoring, and fall hazards	project

Metal-frame-handling/installation control and frame-anchoring/tool control

A Metal Frames AHA centers on metal-frame-handling/installation control and frame-anchoring/tool control. The metal-frame-handling/installation control addresses the frames — controlled by metal-frame-handling and installation controls (safe handling, crush/pinch and sharp-edge control, safe setting and bracing). The frame- anchoring/tool control addresses the anchoring — controlled by frame-anchoring and tool controls (safe anchoring and drilling with silica control, safe fastening tools). And the at-height wall-opening fall and eye get fall and eye controls. An AHA built on metal-frame-handling/installation control and frame-anchoring/tool control, with fall controls, addresses the hazards that define metal frames.

From the field: what actually goes wrong

In fourteen years across federal, heavy civil, and industrial projects, metal frames installs the metal (steel or aluminum) frames set into the wall openings for doors, borrowed lites, and other openings, anchored and secured into the wall before the door leaves or fill are installed, and it is the frame-only installation in the doors-and- frames group. The metal-frame-handling and installation hazard is a primary defining concern — metal frames, so handling them (manual handling, the pinch/crush hazard of the frame members, the sharp metal edges — cut/ laceration, and the frames can be long and awkward) and installing them (positioning and setting the frames in the openings — the crush of positioning, and holding/bracing the frames plumb and square during setting — the strain and the frame tipping if not braced) are central. The metal frame handling and installation is a defining hazard.

The frame-anchoring/tool and the at-height-wall-opening-fall are the other defining hazards. On the projects I have run, anchoring and securing the metal frames into the wall openings involves frame anchors and fasteners into the wall (masonry, concrete, or framing — the fastening and any drilling, with masonry or concrete drilling a silica- dust concern) and the anchoring/fastening tools (the tool hazards). And the at-height-wall-opening-fall hazard is that metal frames are set in wall openings throughout the building, so a wall opening at height (an upper-floor or elevated opening) is a fall hazard until the frame and fill are installed and the opening is controlled. The eye hazard rounds it out. The AHA built on metal-frame-handling/installation control and frame-anchoring/tool control is the one that protects the metal-frames crew.

The bottom line

A Metal Frames AHA names the metal-frame-handling/installation, the frame-anchoring/tool, and the at-height-wall- opening-fall hazards with specific controls — metal-frame-handling and installation controls (safe handling, crush/pinch and sharp-edge control, safe setting and bracing), frame-anchoring and tool controls (safe anchoring and drilling with silica control, safe fastening tools), and at-height-wall-opening-fall controls (fall protection, opening protection, safe access). The metal-frame-handling/installation control and the frame-anchoring/tool control are the defining concerns. The AHA that manages both is the one that protects the crew.

Frequently asked questions

What metal-frame handling and installation hazards apply?

Metal (steel/aluminum) frames — handling them (manual handling, pinch/crush of the frame members, sharp metal edges — cut/laceration, and long/awkward frames) and installing them (positioning and setting the frames — the crush of positioning, and holding/bracing the frames plumb and square during setting — the strain and the frame tipping if not braced). Controls are metal-frame-handling and installation controls (safe handling, crush/pinch and sharp-edge control, safe setting and bracing), and the handling/installation controls.

What frame-anchoring and tool hazards apply?

Anchoring and securing the metal frames into the wall openings — frame anchors and fasteners into the wall (masonry, concrete, or framing — the fastening and any drilling, with masonry/concrete drilling a silica-dust concern), and the anchoring/fastening tools. Controls are frame-anchoring and tool controls (safe anchoring and drilling with silica control, safe fastening tools), and the anchoring/tool controls.

What fall hazards apply?

Metal frames are set in wall openings throughout the building — a wall opening at height (an upper-floor or elevated opening) is a fall hazard until the frame and fill are installed and the opening is controlled. Controls are at-height-wall-opening-fall controls (fall protection at the openings, opening protection, safe access), and the fall/opening controls.

What is metal frames?

Metal frames is the installation of metal door/opening frames — the metal frames (metal — steel/aluminum — frames set into the wall openings for doors, borrowed lites, and other openings, anchored and secured into the wall, before the door leaves or fill are installed). Because handling and setting the metal frames carries handling/crush and sharp-edge hazards, anchoring the frames carries anchoring/tool hazards (with masonry/concrete drilling silica), and the wall openings are fall hazards, those hazards apply.

Hollow Metal Frames AHA — the hollow metal frames
Metal Doors and Frames AHA — the metal doors and frames
Doors and Frames AHA — the doors-and-frames fundamentals
Anchor Bolt Installation JHA — the anchoring fundamentals

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.

Disclaimer

This document is provided as a general educational resource to assist with hazard identification and task planning. It is not intended to replace a project-specific risk assessment, Activity Hazard Analysis (AHA), Job Hazard Analysis (JHA), Pre-Task Plan, engineering review, applicable regulations, manufacturer instructions, or your organization's safety procedures.

Every job site is different. Hazards, equipment, personnel, environmental conditions, and regulatory requirements vary by project. Before beginning work, ensure this document is reviewed, modified as necessary, and approved by the competent person, supervisor, or other authorized individual responsible for the work.

Always comply with applicable OSHA regulations, local laws, project specifications, and your employer's safety policies.

If you need a project-specific JHA, AHA, or Pre-Task Plan, you can generate one in minutes using PreTaskPlanner, which creates editable, standards-based documents tailored to your exact scope of work.