What is a pre-task plan?

A daily plan made by the crew for the task they're about to do: the steps, the hazards in each step, the controls, the permits and who's working nearby. It's reviewed again at the end of the shift.

What's the difference between a pre-task plan and a job hazard analysis?

A job hazard analysis (JHA) breaks a type of job into steps, hazards and controls and is reviewed from time to time. A pre-task plan applies the same thinking to today's task and today's conditions, with the crew doing the work.

Is a job safety analysis the same as a job hazard analysis?

Yes. JSA and JHA are two names for the same method: list the steps of a job, the hazards in each step and the controls that remove or reduce them.

Meeting kitConstructionSafety

Pre-task planning meeting with hazard board

20 minutes 9 slides, 2 livepro Runs with Pro

The crew maps today's task step by step on a live board, names hazards and controls from their phones, and signs off before work starts.

Use this template See inside

Free to open and edit. Running it live needs Pro, free for 14 days on every new account.

Pre-task plan

Steps, hazards, controls, sign-off. Before the first cut.

Title

In short

A pre-task plan (PTP) is a short crew meeting before work where you break today's task into steps, name the hazards in each and agree the controls. This kit runs it in 20 minutes with CPWR's six questions, a live hazard board the crew fills from their phones, a ready vote and an emailed record.

Time: 20 minutes (18 before, 2 at end of shift)
People: 2 to 15
Includes: Agenda, 9 slides, hazard board, record
Plan: Pro

Updated October 4, 2026

What's in the kit

1Pre-task plan
2Six questions, every task
3Controls, best first
4Hazards to check on every task
5A weak plan vs a strong one
6What's the biggest hazard on today's task?Falls · Struck-by · Caught-in or between · Electrical · Something else live
7If conditions change, we stop and redo the plan. Anyone can call it.
8How clear is today's plan to you? live
9Plan made. Signed off. Go to work.

The agenda

By the end of this meeting, every step of today's task has its hazards, controls and owners named, and the crew has signed off before work starts.

20 min · 8 blocks, drawn to scale Fits exactly

Sign in: name and trade, 1 minutes
Today's task, broken into steps, 3 minutes
Hazards at each step, 6 minutes
Controls, where they are and who owns each one, 4 minutes
Other crews around us, permits and changing conditions, 2 minutes
Ready to start?, 1 minutes
Sign-off and stop-work reminder, 1 minutes
End of shift: hazards controlled? Near misses? Surprises?, 2 minutes

+0′Sign in: name and tradeYour name and trade, for today's PTP1 minCheck-in
+1′Today's task, broken into stepsTip: Rotate who leads. Sketch the steps on a whiteboard or show photos of the work area.3 minInfo
+4′Hazards at each stepPick a step and add the hazard you see in itTip: Everyone adds from their phone at once, so the apprentice's hazard counts as much as the foreman's.6 minBrainstorm
+10′Controls, where they are and who owns each oneTip: Work down the hierarchy: can we eliminate it, swap it, guard it, change how we work, then PPE. 'Be careful' is not a control.4 minDecide
+14′Other crews around us, permits and changing conditions2 minDiscuss
+16′Ready to start?Are you ready to start this task?Tip: Any 'stop' vote gets dealt with before anyone starts. Thank the person who raised it.1 minVote
+17′Sign-off and stop-work reminder1 minWrap-up
+18′End of shift: hazards controlled? Near misses? Surprises?Tip: Run this at the end of the shift. It feeds tomorrow's plan.2 minDiscuss

The board

Steps

What are the steps of today's task?

Hazards

What could hurt someone in that step?

Controls

What removes or reduces the hazard?

Permits and owners

Which permit, which equipment, who's on it?

The follow-up email

Subject

Pre-task plan: today's task, hazards and controls

Pre-task plan record

Date: 
Crew / foreman: 
Location: 
Task: 

Steps, hazards and controls (from the board):
1. Step: 
   Hazards: 
   Controls and owner: 
2. Step: 
   Hazards: 
   Controls and owner: 
3. Step: 
   Hazards: 
   Controls and owner: 

Permits in place: 
PPE required: 
Other crews nearby: 
Ready check: see the vote in the summary below.
Crew sign-off: see the sign-in list below.

End of shift: hazards controlled? Near misses? Surprises?

How to run it

1Hold it before each task, every day, and redo it when conditions change after a break, a weather shift or a new trade arriving.
2Rotate who leads. The leader breaks the task into steps on a whiteboard or in photos.
3Open the board. Everyone adds hazards to the steps from their phone, then you agree a control and an owner for each.
4Run the ready vote. A 'stop' answer gets dealt with before anyone starts.
5Close the loop at the end of the shift with the post-task questions. The record goes out by email from the summary.

Questions people ask

What is a pre-task plan?: A daily plan made by the crew for the task they're about to do: the steps, the hazards in each step, the controls, the permits and who's working nearby. It's reviewed again at the end of the shift.
What's the difference between a pre-task plan and a job hazard analysis?: A job hazard analysis (JHA) breaks a type of job into steps, hazards and controls and is reviewed from time to time. A pre-task plan applies the same thinking to today's task and today's conditions, with the crew doing the work.
Is a job safety analysis the same as a job hazard analysis?: Yes. JSA and JHA are two names for the same method: list the steps of a job, the hazards in each step and the controls that remove or reduce them.

All meeting kits

Open it, make it yours, run it live.

Change anything in the editor. When you're ready, press Present: everyone joins with a scan and answers on their phone.

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Pro free for 14 days
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Guests never need an account

Use this template More meeting kits

Meeting kitConstructionSafety

Pre-task planning meeting with hazard board

20 minutes 9 slides, 2 livepro Runs with Pro

The crew maps today's task step by step on a live board, names hazards and controls from their phones, and signs off before work starts.

Use this template See inside

Free to open and edit. Running it live needs Pro, free for 14 days on every new account.

Pre-task plan

Steps, hazards, controls, sign-off. Before the first cut.

Title

In short

Time: 20 minutes (18 before, 2 at end of shift)
People: 2 to 15
Includes: Agenda, 9 slides, hazard board, record
Plan: Pro

Updated October 4, 2026

What's in the kit

1Pre-task plan
2Six questions, every task
3Controls, best first
4Hazards to check on every task
5A weak plan vs a strong one
6What's the biggest hazard on today's task?Falls · Struck-by · Caught-in or between · Electrical · Something else live
7If conditions change, we stop and redo the plan. Anyone can call it.
8How clear is today's plan to you? live
9Plan made. Signed off. Go to work.

The agenda

By the end of this meeting, every step of today's task has its hazards, controls and owners named, and the crew has signed off before work starts.

20 min · 8 blocks, drawn to scale Fits exactly

Sign in: name and trade, 1 minutes
Today's task, broken into steps, 3 minutes
Hazards at each step, 6 minutes
Controls, where they are and who owns each one, 4 minutes
Other crews around us, permits and changing conditions, 2 minutes
Ready to start?, 1 minutes
Sign-off and stop-work reminder, 1 minutes
End of shift: hazards controlled? Near misses? Surprises?, 2 minutes

+0′Sign in: name and tradeYour name and trade, for today's PTP1 minCheck-in
+1′Today's task, broken into stepsTip: Rotate who leads. Sketch the steps on a whiteboard or show photos of the work area.3 minInfo
+4′Hazards at each stepPick a step and add the hazard you see in itTip: Everyone adds from their phone at once, so the apprentice's hazard counts as much as the foreman's.6 minBrainstorm
+10′Controls, where they are and who owns each oneTip: Work down the hierarchy: can we eliminate it, swap it, guard it, change how we work, then PPE. 'Be careful' is not a control.4 minDecide
+14′Other crews around us, permits and changing conditions2 minDiscuss
+16′Ready to start?Are you ready to start this task?Tip: Any 'stop' vote gets dealt with before anyone starts. Thank the person who raised it.1 minVote
+17′Sign-off and stop-work reminder1 minWrap-up
+18′End of shift: hazards controlled? Near misses? Surprises?Tip: Run this at the end of the shift. It feeds tomorrow's plan.2 minDiscuss

The board

Steps

What are the steps of today's task?

Hazards

What could hurt someone in that step?

Controls

What removes or reduces the hazard?

Permits and owners

Which permit, which equipment, who's on it?

The follow-up email

Subject

Pre-task plan: today's task, hazards and controls

Pre-task plan record

Date: 
Crew / foreman: 
Location: 
Task: 

Steps, hazards and controls (from the board):
1. Step: 
   Hazards: 
   Controls and owner: 
2. Step: 
   Hazards: 
   Controls and owner: 
3. Step: 
   Hazards: 
   Controls and owner: 

Permits in place: 
PPE required: 
Other crews nearby: 
Ready check: see the vote in the summary below.
Crew sign-off: see the sign-in list below.

End of shift: hazards controlled? Near misses? Surprises?

How to run it

1Hold it before each task, every day, and redo it when conditions change after a break, a weather shift or a new trade arriving.
2Rotate who leads. The leader breaks the task into steps on a whiteboard or in photos.
3Open the board. Everyone adds hazards to the steps from their phone, then you agree a control and an owner for each.
4Run the ready vote. A 'stop' answer gets dealt with before anyone starts.
5Close the loop at the end of the shift with the post-task questions. The record goes out by email from the summary.

Questions people ask

What is a pre-task plan?: A daily plan made by the crew for the task they're about to do: the steps, the hazards in each step, the controls, the permits and who's working nearby. It's reviewed again at the end of the shift.
What's the difference between a pre-task plan and a job hazard analysis?: A job hazard analysis (JHA) breaks a type of job into steps, hazards and controls and is reviewed from time to time. A pre-task plan applies the same thinking to today's task and today's conditions, with the crew doing the work.
Is a job safety analysis the same as a job hazard analysis?: Yes. JSA and JHA are two names for the same method: list the steps of a job, the hazards in each step and the controls that remove or reduce them.

All meeting kits

Open it, make it yours, run it live.

Change anything in the editor. When you're ready, press Present: everyone joins with a scan and answers on their phone.

Free forever
Pro free for 14 days
No card needed
Guests never need an account

Use this template More meeting kits

Pre-task planning meeting with hazard board

Pre-task plan

Pre-task plan

Six questions, every task

Controls, best first

Hazards to check on every task

What's the biggest hazard on today's task?

How clear is today's plan to you?

Plan made. Signed off. Go to work.

What's in the kit

The agenda

The board

The follow-up email

How to run it

Questions people ask

Goes well with

Toolbox talk: ladders

We stopped work to talk about falls

Tailgate meeting

Monthly safety meeting

Site safety orientation

Trench and excavation safety

Open it, make it yours, run it live.

Pre-task planning meeting with hazard board

Pre-task plan

Pre-task plan

Six questions, every task

Controls, best first

Hazards to check on every task

What's the biggest hazard on today's task?

How clear is today's plan to you?

Plan made. Signed off. Go to work.

What's in the kit

The agenda

The board

The follow-up email

How to run it

Questions people ask

Goes well with

Toolbox talk: ladders

We stopped work to talk about falls

Tailgate meeting

Monthly safety meeting

Site safety orientation

Trench and excavation safety

Open it, make it yours, run it live.