Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) can reveal job-related dangers not immediately apparent to the untrained eye. Here are some tips for implementing an effective JHA program.
Some workplace hazards, such as a grease spot on the floor or a piece of pipe protruding from a shelf at eye level, are so obvious that even an inexperienced employee can spot them.
But other dangers are more subtle. They can lurk in such unexpected places as storerooms or stairwells. They can cause damage slowly over time like a repetitive motion that eventually causes injury. Some are even invisible, such as a colorless and odorless gas.
Put another buffer between you and OSHA citations. Find out how to implement—or improve—a JHA program in your workplace. Find out more.
The OSHA Required Training for Supervisors monthly newsletter says that even hard-to-find hazards can usually be detected by systematic analysis of all the tasks involved in performing a job. This kind of scrutiny, formally known as job hazard analysis (JHA), involves taking a step-by-step look at how jobs are performed to determine how employees can work with the least risk to their safety and health.
Although OSHA doesn’t require you to perform a JHA, per se, for all of the jobs you supervise, the agency strongly recommends that you do, and it has issued guidelines on JHA and how to do it right.
And keep in mind, too, that in its personal protective equipment (PPE) regulations, OSHA requires employers to assess their workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, and necessitate the use of PPE. Every job in the workplace must be evaluated, and the employer must certify in writing that the PPE hazard assessment has been performed.
Among the significant benefits of JHA are:
- Reduced injuries and illness
- Less absenteeism
- Increased productivity
- Improved morale
- Easier regulatory compliance
Be Wise and Prioritize
Eventually, of course, you’ll want to analyze every job you supervise. But since you can’t do them all at once, OSHA recommends the following priorities when determining which jobs to analyze first:
- Jobs with high accident and injury rates
- Jobs where near misses have occurred
- New jobs
- Jobs in which changes have been made in processes and procedures
- All other jobs
Get Ready, Get Set, Before You Go
Before you conduct the analysis, get some background information about workplace job hazards in general. Here’s where to look:
- Review the company’s accident and illness records and study the reported causes.
- Look at inspection reports (regular workplace inspections conducted by your safety management team, insurance carrier inspections, safety and health agency inspections, local fire code inspections, and so on).
- Identify any recent changes in the work areas you supervise, including equipment, processes, procedures, and personnel.
- Consider the general conditions in which jobs are performed.
- Talk with your employees about job hazards.
Armed with this useful data, you’re ready for the five-step job hazard analysis.
“Job Hazard Analysis: Effective Strategies to Ensure Legal Compliance and Employee Safety.” A special audio conference from BLR. Find out more.
Almost every job can be broken down into a series of tasks or activities performed by the employee. Unrecognized hazards might be hidden in any one of those activities. Begin by writing down each activity in order of occurrence, and briefly describe it. Then run through “what if” scenarios to determine what could go wrong in each of those activities.
In tomorrow’s Advisor we’ll get down to the nitty-gritty of examining job activities for potential hazards, and we’ll tell you about an upcoming audio conference on effective JHA strategies that ensure legal compliance and employee safety.