Job Hazard Analysis – 11 Steps to a JHA

As duties and projects shift in priority and if we are not constantly alert to change, we will lose the “feel” of the workplace. Employee turnover, new initiatives, company mergers, and other technology will bring new individuals to work areas who do not have the same production or service industry experience. As things change, management direction and objectives will also shift. The challenge is to assure management continues to understand the benefits of developing and maintaining a comprehensive risk and hazard analysis.

JHA Fishbone Analysis

Management must be kept fully informed on how the job hazard analysis effort brings continuing value to the organization. To assure on-going implementation and revisions to Job Hazard Analysis (JHAs,) managers must comprehend the connection between JHA and safety systems, human performance, the long-term investments required and commitment to the process.

If JHAs appear to be randomly completed and considered only an add on to the safety process then it becomes ineffective in providing continuous improvement. Focus is lost as well as needed budgets in time and money.

The Goal of Hazard Analysis

The goal of the Job Hazard Analysis is to increase the probability of success in the ever changing work environment. The following are eleven basic steps to begin the JHA Process:

1. Develop a list of Jobs within the workplace under review - Using a risk assessment model, rank order the jobs by overall hazard and risk (exposure and potential severity of injury and/or loss producing events.) Identify jobs with that present unacceptable risks. These jobs should be given first priority for analysis.
2. Assure that local management and area supervision understand the Hazard Analysis process – It is important that management and area supervision how it will be of benefit to the organization. The process can be seen as adversarial if their perception is that the process is going to be critical of their management skills. Human nature being what it is, a negative “us versus them” environment can develop without management and supervision buy-in. Nobody likes to have their “baby” called ugly!
3. Involve employees and area supervision in developing the JHA. Involving employees in the process is essential in minimizing oversights of specific or hidden hazards. Their involvement provides increased potential quality of analysis and future “buy-in” to the solutions identified. The employees will share ownership in the safety process.
4. Review injuries and other loss producing events, i.e., history of injuries, losses that required repair or replacement, and any near misses, any events where an injuries or loss did not occur, but would have under different circumstances. Review all data collected with all affected employees. These events are “warning signs” (indicators) that the existing preventative measures or controls (if any) may not be adequate. Based on concepts from Human Performance Improvement, specific events may provide indicators of organizational weakness with unrecognized latent errors previously built into the jobs under review.
5. Beginning with the top priority Job, conduct a preliminary task review. Enlist affected employees with breaking down the job into its basic steps and then into specific tasks necessary within each step. We use the fishbone or cause and effect diagram to capture the steps and tasks, tools/equipment/materials to be used, the work environment, current policies/procedures, and employees or others exposed to the job.
6. Observe the employee(s) performing the job listing each step and then the related task as they are being performed. Record enough information to describe each action without getting too detailed. Get peer (employee-to-employee) review who have performed the same job and the area supervision input to validate assumptions and findings.
7. Discuss identified hazards that exist in the current work environment with employees.
8. Discuss the risk within each step, the potential exposure and scope of potential severity. Do not depend on just the employees’ insights and assure that a full research for the risk potential is completed. Employees may or may not have a full understanding of or experience with the severity potential.
9. Discuss possible changes in the job to reduce risk as well as hazard controls that must be implemented with employees so that they fully understand the why of all controls.
10. Correct identified safety issues that are as soon as possible or assure that temporary controls are implemented until a permanent fix can be devised.
11. Inform management of the finding of the JHA.

Summary

It is important that management, supervision, and employees are included in all phases of the analysis, from reviewing the job description and related task and procedures, to discussing uncontrolled hazards, associated at-risk events, and preventative measures.

Source: myJobHazardAnalysis.com