Why You Should Run a Job Hazard Analysis
Every worker needs to stay safe, but not all safety measures apply to all workers. Many hazards are job-specific, and so the safety measures taken need to be job-specific, too. This is the only way to truly ensure workers have the protection they need.
In order to achieve this granular level of safety, OSHA recommends all employers conduct a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA). In this post, we’ll cover what a JHA is, why it’s necessary, and how to conduct one properly.
What is a Job Hazard Analysis?
OSHA defines a Job Hazard Analysis as a technique for studying workplace hazards, with a focus on finding the best ways of controlling them.
A JHA analyzes work activities to identify the procedures, tools, and materials necessary for accomplishing the task. Then the JHA process identifies strategies that will either eliminate or mitigate the hazards.
Teams should never approve a procedure that doesn’t integrate the proper safe practices. In the past, we often wrote procedures on how to operate equipment or perform a specific task, but then created a separate document related to hazards and safe practice after the fact.
The result? Supervisor and employees knew how to operate production equipment, but treating safety issues as a secondary concern—assuming they read the safety brief at all. This often led to employees being injured or inadequately protected, since their focus was on being productive.
Since then, we’ve learned that the best way to be productive is to perform tasks safely. When safety procedures are integrated with equipment procedures, productivity increases and a safety culture has a chance to foster.
Job Hazard Analysis benefits
Yes, JHAs are recommended by OSHA, but that shouldn’t be the only reason you do them. They in fact provide many benefits to the conscientious team:
JHAs as a training tool
Written JHAs can be used as a training tool for new hires or newly assigned employees. Senior employees who are about to do non-routine tasks, or tasks that aren’t performed regularly, can review the JHA as part of a refresher. This reminds the individual of:
How to perform the task safely
- The role of each team member
- The hazards they’ll be exposed to
- Required safety procedures
- The correct PPE to wear
A 2-3 minute JHA/procedure review refreshes the memory of everyone involved in the task, and will enhance productivity as it’s being executed. Without such reminders, people may get confused on who’s doing what. This leads to duplicative efforts, failure to secure necessary tools and equipment prior to starting the job, and additional delays as issues get sorted out.
This may sound minor, but such delays have led to serious safety risks such as taking shortcuts to make up for lost time, using the wrong tool for the job, and bickering that distracts people and reduces their focus on a dangerous task. It’s a ripe environment for costly injuries and equipment damage.
How to conduct a Job Hazard Analysis
The process for conducting an effective JHA is pretty straightforward.
- Engage front-line employees who perform the task
- Incorporate their safety and efficiency input into the procedures
- Document the step-by-step process for performing the task
- Add two elements to each step of the official procedure:
- Hazard exposure for each step
- Protective measures required for each step
By following these steps, you’re ensuring that safety is given just as much attention and importance as the actual performance of the task, and that it will be present in employee’s minds as they work.
Job Hazard Analysis example
If you’re interested in exploring JHAs for your own organization, you can download the OSHA Job Hazard Analysis templatefrom their site.
Integrating a JHA into your task procedures is as simple as adding a couple of extra columns to your procedure table. A table or spreadsheet format is bulleted and quicker to view than one written in paragraph form.
Here’s an example of a task procedure with an incorporated JHA:
Proper procedures ensure that each step is taken in the proper sequence and, if followed, helps a new person perform the task safely and effectively. If you like, you can include visuals such as a photo of the part, process, or control panel to further reduce confusion.
A similar type of JHA is the application for entering a permit-required confined space. If you’re familiar with this form, then you know the work to be performed in the space must be identified, the types of hazards to be encountered must be listed, and sequential steps must be taken prior to entering the space, while in the space, and once people are removed from the space.
Though it’s not specifically called out, that application form is an integrated procedure with a JHA.
JHAs: The final step
When designing task procedures, include any hazard that may impact the person and list the control measures that protect the person while doing the task. Those measures can be engineering or administrative controls, and/or PPE.
Always include your front-line employees to be part of the process. Workplace safety is a team responsibility. And so in order to make an effective JHA, you need to get the perspective of the people who are at the most risk, and have the closest view of the danger.
In this manner, you can provide step-by-step procedures for a task with known hazards and protective measures for each step, ensuring your people can remain safe and productive.