How to write a job hazard analysis: 5 expert tips
A job hazard analysis (JHA) is a written breakdown of a job’s tasks that identifies the hazards in each step and the controls that prevent them. To write a good one, keep it simple, involve the employees who do the work, observe the task directly rather than relying on memory, cover the essential details, and use visuals only when they add real clarity.
A job hazard analysis is a useful safety tool for supervisors. It can be used to identify and remedy hazards in the workplace, prevent accidents, and guide on-the-job training and retraining. The stakes are significant: according to the National Safety Council, the average cost of a medically consulted workplace injury is $48,000, and the average cost of a workplace death is $1.54 million. A well-written JHA helps prevent these incidents, and their costs, before they occur.
Here are 5 tips for writing an effective job hazard analysis
1. Keep it simple
A job hazard analysis is not meant to be an exhaustive dissertation on how to do a job. In fact, you may want to think of it more as a task hazard analysis since it is meant to focus primarily on the tasks that pose a safety risk to the worker.
When doing the hazard analysis, provide enough detail to describe the action, but don’t get overly detailed. Focus on the basic steps.
2. Involve employees
While supervisors see workers perform the tasks, they generally don’t actually do them. Having the employees who perform the tasks involved in the analysis will help to uncover hidden hazards that may exist and provide detail and clarity an observer cannot provide.
3. Don’t rely on memory
Even when experienced employees are involved in the job hazard analysis, important information can be missed if you try to write it from memory. This is because many aspects of the job have become rote to the employee (and generally to the supervisor also).
The best way to develop the analysis is by actually observing the worker perform the work. This not only helps to ensure that important information is included, but it also allows dialogue with the worker performing the task.
Discussing the task with the worker as they do it can help uncover useful details regarding not just how the worker does the task, but also why it is done one way as opposed to another, which can help with identifying mitigation measures.
4. Cover all the bases
You don’t want to make the job hazard analysis overly detailed, but it needs to cover the basics. These include:
- Where the task is taking place
- What is happening, including tools and machinery that are involved
- Conditions or circumstances that may trigger a hazard
- The consequences of the hazard
- Other important factors that relate to the hazard (for example, if a worker will have little time to react to a hazard once it is triggered, this is important information to include)
- Actions taken to control or prevent the hazard
5. Consider using visuals
Including visuals with your job hazard analysis, such as diagrams, photographs, or video, can add a level of clarity and detail that words alone cannot. However, as with overly wordy descriptions, including visuals simply for the sake of including them only adds clutter. Be sure they provide real value.
Frequently asked questions
What should a job hazard analysis include?
A job hazard analysis should cover where the task takes place, what is happening (including tools and machinery), conditions that may trigger a hazard, the consequences of the hazard, factors like how much time a worker has to react, and the actions taken to control or prevent the hazard.
Who should be involved in writing a job hazard analysis?
Both supervisors and the employees who actually perform the task. Supervisors observe the work, but workers do it, so involving them uncovers hidden hazards and adds detail an observer cannot provide. Discussing the task with the worker while they perform it also reveals why steps are done a certain way.
Should you write a job hazard analysis from memory?
No. Even experienced employees miss important information when working from memory, because much of the job has become rote. The best approach is to observe the worker performing the task and discuss it with them in real time, which surfaces details and helps identify mitigation measures.
How detailed should a job hazard analysis be?
Keep it simple. A JHA should focus on the tasks that pose a safety risk to the worker, with enough detail to describe each action but no more. Think of it as a task hazard analysis built on basic steps, not an exhaustive document on how to do the entire job.
