Build a job hazard analysis in minutes

A job hazard analysis (JHA) breaks a task into its steps, names the hazards in each step and records how each one is controlled. Done well, it becomes the briefing a supervisor gives before the work starts and the checklist a new worker learns from.

OSHA’s personal protective equipment standard also requires employers to assess the workplace for hazards and to keep a written certification of that assessment, naming the workplace evaluated, the person certifying it and the date (29 CFR 1910.132(d)(2)). A JHA is a practical way to do the thinking behind that certification, though the certification itself must still include those details.

NIOSH ranks controls from most to least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment. NIOSH notes that the first three are more effective because they control exposures without relying on what each person does.

The builder tags each control with its level and counts how many hazards are covered by the stronger levels, so you can see at a glance where a step leans only on rules and PPE.

• Write steps the way the crew describes them, in the order they happen.
• Walk the job with someone who does it every day before you finalize the hazards.
• Be specific: “hand caught between pallet and rack” beats “pinch point”.
• Review the JHA after an incident, a near miss, or a change in equipment or method.