Job Hazard Analysis

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Chapter : Risk Assessment

What is a JHA?

A job hazard analysis (JHA), sometimes called a job safety analysis (JSA), is an organized analysis of a specific job in a specific location. By completing a JHA, you ensure that you have properly planned the work and that workers can do it safely. As a written document, it can serve as evidence of due diligence.

Before giving safety talks, create JHAs

Before workers begin a job, management must ensure that all the work has been planned so that workers can do it safely. Management must set up an effective method or system to identify and control or eliminate hazards in the workplace. One way to do this is to develop a job hazard analysis (JHA) for tasks that your workers will complete as part of their work on the jobsite.

Use the safety talks in this book along with the JHAs you have created for each job.

Why develop a JHA?

JHAs are excellent tools for identifying

• the steps involved in the job
• the potential hazards associated with the job
• the protective measures you will use to protect workers who will complete the job.

Who develops the JHA?

A competent person should develop the JHA because, according the Occupational Health and Safety Act, he or she has knowledge of the hazards that are present on the jobsite. Usually, the competent person who writes JHA is the foreperson or supervisor.

How to develop a JHA

1. Identify the Job

The first thing you do when developing a JHA is identify the main jobs or tasks that your workers will do as part of the job on site. These are the jobs that you will analyze to ensure that everyone can do them safely. List these jobs in order of priority.

2. Break down each job into steps

Once you have identified a job for analysis, the next step is to break down the job into steps. Each step is a segment of the operation that is necessary to advance the work. Make sure you keep the jobs steps in sequential order. Get the crew and the health and safety representative to help with this part.

These steps are not only specific to the job, but also specific to the work area. If the work area changes, the steps may need to change as well. If the steps are too detailed, the JHA will be burdensome and difficult to follow. However, if they are not detailed enough, you may miss some hazards.

3. Identify the hazards associated with each job step

This is the most challenging part of the JHA. Take each step and list the hazards associated with it. Think about what could go wrong from a health and safety perspective. Think about how people, equipment, materials, processes, and the surrounding environment may contribute to a hazard.

Here are some things you can do to help you identify potential hazards.

• Ask workers who are familiar with the job.
• Review causes of past injuries or illnesses.
• Consider other work going on near the work area.
• Understand the legislation or regulatory requirements associated with the work.
• Review the manufacturer’s instructions for the equipment you are using.
• Consider your own personal experience with the job.

4. Determine controls for each hazard

Each hazard that you identified in the previous step needs a control. The control explains how you will eliminate the hazard or how you will significantly reduce the risk of injury or illness.

Below are some ways to control hazards.

Eliminate the Hazard

• Modify the process or choose a safer process.

• Improve the work environment (e.g., ventilation).

• Modify or change equipment or tools.

Contain the Hazard

• Install barriers, such as guardrails or machine guards.

• Enclose the hazard so workers aren’t exposed to it.

• Install a booth for workers.

Revise the Work Procedure

• Modify the part of the procedure that is hazardous.

• Change the sequence of steps.

• Add additional steps (such as locking out energy sources).

Reduce the Exposure

• Reduce the numberof times workers will encounter the hazard.

• Reduce the number of workers exposed to the hazard.

• Use personal protective equipment.

• Rotate jobs to reduce the time each worker is exposed to the hazard.

5. Discuss the completed JSA with workers

Once you have completed the first four steps for every job that you identified in step one, you will have well-developed JHAs. Now, it’s time to share them with your workers. The JHAs won’t be effective if the workers don’t know about them or don’t understand them.

Before starting work, review the relevant JHAs with your crew and make sure everyone knows how they are supposed to do the job. If you’re dealing with a job or task that will last more than one day, it’s a good idea to review the relevant JHAs each morning before work starts.

Updating JHAs

We know how often work plans change. When things change, the supervisor or foreperson must update the relevant JHAs to reflect any new hazard that results from the change. Then, the supervisor or foreperson must review the revised JHAs with all workers.

Keep in mind that if workers perform the same job in two different locations, you will probably need two JHAs because the surrounding environment is different.