What a JHA is (and what JHA stands for)
JHA stands for job hazard analysis. It is the name OSHA uses in its booklet on the subject, OSHA 3071, which is written for employers, foremen and supervisors. [OSHA] OSHA's full definition reads:
“A job hazard analysis is a technique that focuses on job tasks as a way to identify hazards before they occur. It focuses on the relationship between the worker, the task, the tools, and the work environment.”
In practice, a JHA is a short written record for one job. You list the steps of the job in order, write down what could hurt someone at each step, and decide what will stop it. OSHA also explains what it means by a hazard: the potential for harm, often tied to a condition or activity that can cause an injury or illness if it is left uncontrolled. [OSHA] So in workplace safety, the meaning of JHA is this document: steps, hazards and controls for one job.
Why do a JHA, and what it prevents
OSHA calls the JHA one of the best ways to work out and set proper work procedures, and treats it as one part of a wider safety and health management system. [OSHA] It lists what supervisors can expect when they act on the findings:
“This is likely to result in fewer worker injuries and illnesses; safer, more effective work methods; reduced workers’ compensation costs; and increased worker productivity.”
A finished JHA is also a ready-made training script. OSHA notes it can be a valuable tool for training new employees in the steps of their job. [OSHA] That also makes it good material for a toolbox talk with the crew that does the work.
One warning from OSHA: the analysis only works if management shows it is committed and follows through on fixing the hazards it finds. If not, management loses credibility and workers may hesitate to report dangerous conditions. [OSHA]
Which jobs to analyze first
You can do a JHA on many jobs, but OSHA says to start with these: [OSHA]
- Jobs with the highest injury or illness rates.
- Jobs that could cause severe or disabling injury or illness, even with no accident history.
- Jobs where one simple human error could lead to a severe accident or injury.
- Jobs that are new to your operation, or where the process or procedure has changed.
- Jobs complex enough to need written instructions.
If you work in construction, the construction JHA guide shows how this fits the 29 CFR 1926 standards for your trade.
How to write a JHA, step by step
OSHA 3071 lays out the process in this order. [OSHA]
1. Involve your employees
The people who do the job know it best. OSHA says involving them helps cut down on things you miss, gives a better analysis, and gets workers to buy in because they share ownership of the result. [OSHA]
2. Review your accident history
Go over past accidents, illnesses that needed treatment, losses that needed repair or replacement, and near misses. OSHA treats these as signs that the current controls may not be good enough. [OSHA]
3. Do a preliminary job review
Talk with the crew about hazards they already know about and brainstorm fixes. Do not wait for the finished JHA to act on the obvious ones:
“If any hazards exist that pose an immediate danger to an employee’s life or health, take immediate action to protect the worker.”
Problems that are easy to correct should be fixed as soon as possible. [OSHA]
4. List, rank and set priorities
List the jobs with hazards that present unacceptable risks, putting first the ones most likely to happen and with the worst consequences. Those are the jobs to analyze first. [OSHA]
5. Break the job into steps
Watch a worker do the job and write down each step as it happens. Keep each step specific enough to describe the action, but not so detailed that the list gets long, and not so broad that basic steps go missing. Then review the steps with the worker, and make clear you are studying the job, not judging the person. [OSHA] OSHA adds that photos or video of the job can help with a more detailed review later. [OSHA]
6. Identify the hazards in each step
OSHA calls this detective work. For each step, answer five questions: [OSHA]
- What can go wrong?
- What are the consequences?
- How could it arise?
- What are other contributing factors?
- How likely is it that the hazard will occur?
Write the answers the same way every time. A good hazard description covers where it happens, who or what it happens to, what triggers it, the outcome, and any other contributing factors. [OSHA]
7. Decide the controls
OSHA ranks hazard controls by how well they work: [OSHA]
- Engineering controls. Change the machine, equipment or work area so workers are not exposed: design the hazard out, substitute something less hazardous, enclose it, isolate it with guards or interlocks, or remove it with ventilation.
- Administrative controls. Change how the work is done: written procedures, permits, safe work practices, limits on exposure time, alarms and signs, a buddy system, and training.
- Personal protective equipment. Respirators, hearing protection, safety glasses, hard hats and similar gear, used when engineering controls are not feasible or do not fully remove the hazard, while they are being developed, or in an emergency.
OSHA notes that when a hazard cannot be removed entirely, you will usually end up using all three types at once. [OSHA] Go over your recommendations with everyone who does the job, and make sure they understand any new procedure and why it changed. [OSHA] A sign-in sheet is a simple way to record who was there when you went over it.
OSHA's sample form in Appendix 3 of OSHA 3071 has these fields. [OSHA] You fill in the task, hazard and control fields once for every step of the job.
| Field | What to write |
|---|
| Job title, job location | Which job this sheet covers and where it is done. |
| Analyst, date | Who did the analysis and when, so you know how current it is. |
| Task # and task description | The step number and what the worker does in that step, in order. |
| Hazard type | The kind of hazard, using a category such as fall, electrical, mechanical, struck by or ergonomics. OSHA 3071 lists common types in its Appendix 2. [OSHA] |
| Hazard description | What could go wrong, written as a scenario: where it happens, who or what it happens to, and what sets it off. [OSHA] |
| Consequence | The outcome if it happens: the injury or illness. [OSHA] |
| Hazard controls | What will remove or reduce the hazard, listed in OSHA's order of preference. [OSHA] |
| Rationale or comment | Why you chose those controls, or anything the crew should know. |
For a blank layout you can fill in, use the free JHA template or the one-page JHA form for the field.
A short worked example
OSHA 3071 works through one job, grinding iron castings in a metal shop, which it breaks into three steps: [OSHA]
- Reach into the metal box to the right of the machine, grasp a casting and carry it to the wheel.
- Push the casting against the wheel to grind off the burr.
- Place the finished casting in the box to the left of the machine.
For the first step, OSHA's form gives the task as a worker carrying a 15-pound casting to the wheel, grinding 20 to 30 castings an hour. One of the hazards it records is:
“Picking up a casting, the employee could drop it onto his foot. The casting’s weight and height could seriously injure the worker’s foot or toes.”
The controls it lists for that hazard: [OSHA]
- Take the castings out of the box and put them on a table next to the grinder.
- Wear steel-toe shoes with arch protection.
- Change to protective gloves that give a better grip.
- Use a device to pick up the castings.
The same step also gets separate entries for cuts from sharp burrs and for back strain from reaching, twisting and lifting, each with its own controls. [OSHA] That is the pattern: one row per hazard, and every step of the job repeated the same way. The full analysis is on our JHA example page, and task-by-task samples are in the JSA examples.
JHA vs JSA
A JSA, or job safety analysis, is the same method under another name. OSHA's program guidance lists “job hazard analyses, also known as job safety analyses” as one item, [OSHA] and OSHA 3071 itself uses both names. [OSHA] The name matters only when a rule or a client tells you which one to use. The JSA vs JHA guide covers where each name comes from.
Is a JHA required by OSHA?
Not by name in any standard quoted here. OSHA 3071 is guidance, and it says its own example procedures are for illustration only and may not include every step, hazard and protection for your industry. [OSHA] What it does say is that the OSHA standards for your industry apply:
“Compliance with these standards is mandatory, and by incorporating their requirements in your job hazard analysis, you can be sure that your health and safety program meets federal standards.”
The duties a JHA helps you meet depend on which set of standards covers your work.
- Construction (29 CFR 1926). The employer must start and keep up the programs needed to comply with Part 1926, [OSHA] and must teach every worker to spot and avoid unsafe conditions:
“The employer shall instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and the regulations applicable to his work environment to control or eliminate any hazards or other exposure to illness or injury.”
- General industry (29 CFR 1910). The employer must assess the workplace for hazards that call for PPE, select PPE for them, and verify the assessment with a written certification that names the workplace, the person certifying, and the dates. [OSHA]
None of these rules uses the words job hazard analysis. A JHA is a practical way to do the work they describe and to show that you did it. OSHA 3071 also notes that states running their own OSHA-approved programs may have standards that differ slightly from the federal ones, so check with your state agency if you are in one. [OSHA]
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