BY JP BURNEY | NOV 4, 2020
Safety is not just something that you think about once a month at the mandatory Safety meeting. What is a JHA, why is it important and how often should it be done?
Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) is a way to help workers focus on accident prevention by writing down the steps, possible hazards, and controls for any specific job. A job hazard analysis can help works and their supervisors find hazards before they turn into accidents.
When incidents occur, one of the first questions that will be asked, or should be asked, by the manager, the incident investigator, the OSHA representative (or whoever is asking questions...) is Can I see the JHA? By using this as a starting point for any incident investigation, it can be known if the workers were aware of the specific hazard, had planned how to prevent incidents from occurring on the job site, or if the crew even knew what a job hazard analysis is and why it's important.
Job Hazard Analysis is sometimes called by different names including:
Pre-Task Hazard Analysis
Job Task Analysis
Pre-Job Plans
Job Safety Analysis (JSA)
Pre-Task Planning
Safety Task Analysis
A job hazard analysis is an exercise in detective work. The goal is to discover the following:
What can go wrong?
How can injuries happen
What would cause an accident to happen
How likely is it that the hazard will occur?
OSHA Standard Section 5(a)(1) Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees.
A specific work task can be separated into a series of simple steps. For each step hazards should be identified.
As steps required to complete a job or task are identified it is important to think about the types of hazards. Consider these common types of hazards and be sure they are included in the JHA:
Struck Against or Struck By
Contact With or Contact By
Caught In, Caught On, or Caught Between
Fall to Same Level or Fall to Below
Overexertion or Exposure
More examples of task or hazards that lead to accidents include:
Working at Heights
Slippery Surfaces
Exposed Moving Machinery Parts
Fires or Explosions
Noise
Electricity
Toxic Emissions
Corrosive Chemicals
Low Oxygen
Repetitive Tasks
Heavy Lifting
Overhead Work
Rigging Activities
Use of Heavy Equipment
Working with Powder Actuated Tools
For each hazard written it is important to take the next step and write down a way to reduce, eliminate, or control the hazard. Consider these ideas as a few examples of safety controls:
Are safety handles and guards for tools and equipment available?
Can you move the work to ground level or prepare on the ground and lift it to a safe area?
Are the right tools, materials and equipment being used?
Is there a lift, or scaffold available instead of ladders?
Are electrical or other power sources able to be switched off?
Remember these important tips when completing a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA):
Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) is a way to help workers focus on accident prevention.
Job Hazard Analysis is sometimes called by different names and many companies have their own forms and processes - the basic idea is to find hazards and prevent injuries.
Workers and supervisors are the best sources for identifying hazards in the work they perform.
For each step in a task, the hazards should be identified, written down or checked off.
Every hazard discovered must have a safety control or accident prevention method written down.
A few minutes used to write a good JHA can save hours or days lost to injury
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JP Burney, Corporate Safety Manager, received formal education and several OSHA certifications from Eastern Michigan University and Oakland U, respectively. He has been in the field of Environmental, Health, and Safety for over 16 years. JP comes to Crestline Construction from Safety Consulting Group, Restored Safety & Security, which he has owned since 2007. JP holds certifications from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals and is a member of the American Society of Safety Professionals(ASSP). JP is also an OSHA Authorized Outreach Trainer for Construction and General Industry standards.