workplace safety

A job safety analysis (JSA) also known as a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) is a technique you can use to identify potential risks and dangers to workers. A JSA is focused on the specific tasks that an employee will need to carry out in their job role. Once you understand what the risks and dangers are, you can then take action to prevent them from happening and injuring your employees.

workplace safety

Communicate the Need for a Job Safety Analysis to Any Impacted Employees

You will want to involve any employees who are actively performing the role that you’re analyzing. They can provide useful feedback on specific tasks, talk you through step-by-step processes, point out potential dangers, and suggest better ways of doing things.

Understand the Current Data about Roles, Tasks, and Health and Safety Risks

You probably already capture health and safety information including actual accidents and injuries, plus near misses. Review this data with your HR department, managers, and employees to understand the assess the risks that caused these incidents to happen.

Look at External Compliance Regulations

OSHA and other agencies may have regulations and compliance requirements you need to meet. Ensure you review these requirements in detail and incorporate them into your JSA.

Catalog all the Tasks Required by a Specific Role

Each role in your organization will have specific activities that the employee needs to carry out. Look through the role description and talk to employees to understand their day-to-day work activities and outcomes.

Understand All Steps Required to Complete Each Outcome

Go through all the process steps that an employee needs to carry out to reach the desired job outcome. For each step, look at potential health and safety risks. Make sure that these risks are properly documented and captured in your Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) system. In particular, look at:

  • The working environment.
  • Other activities in nearby areas.
  • Equipment and gear used.
  • Training for employees and other parties.
  • Other contributing factors.

Look at historic health and safety records and talk to employees to identify all the factors that can create a risk of injury.

Turn Your Findings into Defined Risk Assessments

Once you have documented all tasks, outcomes, and risks, you need to properly assess and document them in a risk management system. For each potentially dangerous activity, ask and answer the following questions:

  • What could go wrong?
  • What is the impact if the risk happens?
  • What is the likelihood of the risk happening?
  • What are the consequences of the risk happening?
  • What are the contributing factors?
  • How can the risk be reduced or eliminated?

Manage and Mitigate Risks with Action Plans

Once you understand your job-based risks, get mitigating action plans in place. This might involve training employees, providing better equipment or protective gear, changing the environment, or otherwise reducing the likelihood or impact of injuries.

Track and Manage Health and Safety Risks

You will want to capture and track JSAs in a centralized risk management system, ideally a dedicated Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) system. This will help you to track any risks and the actions you can take to prevent them. Integrate your EHS with your HR systems, so any injuries or near misses are linked back to your EHS so you can prioritize any mitigating actions.

About the Author

Tim Lozier is the Director of Product Strategy at EtQ. Tim has an extensive background in software technology and has been involved in the creation of leading-edge technologies in user interface design and development. He is responsible for fostering the development of leading Quality Management Software solutions and has helped shape EtQ’s strategic vision through leadership.