Job Hazard Analysis

If you have at least 20 employees in your company, it is a requirement that you have a Safety and Health Program in-place. One of this Health and Safety programs might be related to Job Hazard Analysis (JHA). The purpose of Job Hazard Analysis is to identify the hazards or potential accidents associated with each step of a job. It develops precautions that will eliminate or guard against the hazards or potential accidents on each job. And provide an up-to-date safe job procedure for training purposes and it will be your guide for the enforcement of safe work practices.
Each job step should be checked with the hazards relating to the work area, materials handled, machines or equipment, tools and work practices. Typical Questions to consider while conducting a JHA are as follows:

Physical action or employee ergonomics

1.Excessive force required?
2.Awkward or unstable position necessary?
3.Repetitive motion involved?
4.Simultaneous actions required?
5.Specific sequence of action necessary?
6.Lifting, pushing, or pulling involved?

Materials used for the job
1.Toxic?
2.Flammable? or
3.Combustible?
4.Heavy?
5.Difficult to move?

Equipment
1.Unguarded moving parts?
2.Interlocks required?
3.Emergency switches accessible?

Conditions of the work place
1.Adequate lighting?
2.Temperature extreme?
3.Excessive noise?

In developing an effective JHA, there are three basic steps: Break down the job into its basic steps; Identify the hazards that are present in each of the steps; and Develop controls for all hazards that had been identified. To elaborate further, consider this inputs on the three steps :

FIRST STEP.
•Determine the jobs to be analyzed by studying past safety performances.
•Frequency of minor injuries.
•Frequency of disabling injuries.
•Potentially serious accidents causing damage to equipment but not resulting in injuries to workers.
•JHA should be made on any new jobs before the jobs are performed.
•JHA then will be a valuable tool in breaking in workers on the new job.
•Organize in natural order each basic step of the job.
•Describe what is done in each basic step.
•Begin each step with an action work, e.g. remove, place, fill.
•Each basic step is a generalization. Details must be omitted.
•Too much detail will make the job monumental.
•Too little detail will omit natural steps in the breakdown.

NOTE: It is important that each natural step of the job be described. Only then can we concentrate on looking for all hazards associated with a particular job.
CAUTION: An overlooked natural step could mean an overlooked hazard.

SECOND STEP.
•Identifying hazards and potential accidents.
•Identify hazards relating to job environment and job procedure.
•Observe each step with objective of making that specific step safer and more efficient.
•Pay particular attention to those basic steps where a man can be struck by objects or caught in, or between anything, fall or expose himself to gas, heat, radiation, etc.

NOTE: Devote full attention to identifying the hazards and potential accidents. Forget about the safety precautions until all hazards have been identified.

THIRD STEP. Institute ways to eliminate hazards and potential accidents.
•Develop a better way to do the job.
•Review carefully the possibility of changing the job procedure.
•Suggest environmental changes if changing job procedure is not adequate.
•Eliminate the frequency with which job must be done by instituting new methods or ways of doing things.
•Check precautions recommended by re-observing the job and specify the necessary protective equipment required.

In doing so, your company will not only fulfill its Health and Safety program but will benefit a lot to it.It provided an avenue for good worker safety contact. Be able to train workers in safe & efficient procedures. Be able to develop improved job methods. JHA makes job as safe as possible and able to develop methods of uncovering work hazards which inadvertently created in the process of changing equipment and/or procedures.

Further readings including sample forms used for developing JHA can be found on the following websites:
http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3071.pdf
http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/job-haz.html
http://smad-ext.grc.nasa.gov/gso/manual/chapter_33.pdf
http://www.safetyworksmaine.com/safe_workplace/safety_management/hazard_analysis.html