WHAT IS JOB HAZARD ANALYSIS?

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Originally Posted On: https://www.jsabuilder.com/news/what-is-job-hazard-analysis/

Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) is a tool or procedure conducted by a company to identify and minimize possible risks in the workplace. A JHA is comprised of several steps to identify the hazards and come up with safety solutions.

Safety should be a major aspect of the company’s management program. It is also an investment that when overlooked, creates a negative impact on the company’s progress as well as its reputation. This is the reason why every company, big and small, should conduct JSA as a way of protecting their investment, and employees, through in  investing in a workplace safety program.

How To Conduct JHA

Although the company should consult the professional and regulatory board at the end of the process, it can independently come up with a clear and concise picture of the workplace hazard.

• First, the management should brainstorm and discuss extensively the company’s status in terms of workplace safety.  An expert team composed of long-time employees and supervisors can be organized to complete the JHA task. This way, the company can get both sides of the story.
• A JHA will help inspectors know which area to prioritize in terms of implementation of safety procedures and guidelines. This would also include further investigation to establish the items mentioned in the analysis or report.
• In conducting the job hazard analysis, the department in charge of this would have to sort out their priorities and start with the highest.
• The process should be taken one step so the analysis should be guided by a list of procedures. This way, the hazards are better identified.
• After completing the workplace check and investigations, the department would be able to come up finally with a clear set of preventive measures to help minimize the risks.
• Training and education should be conducted among employees from the rank-and-file to managerial positions.
• The JHA should then be check occasionally to determine areas to improve, update, and change. This usually happens when a new set of tasks or job are added.

Benefits

The JHA is not an extra or unnecessary work. Again, it is an investment. The amount of time and money spent on training and educating the company’s staff as well as implementing the program will not go down the drain. By performing this, the company would be able to:

• Identify workplace hazards that have been overlooked before
• Enhance the knowledge of the employees regarding the job or tasks they are assigned
• The awareness on health and safety of both the company and employees are enabled
• Improves communication between the management and the employees
• The success rate of the company is increased
• The delay in work is minimized if not completely prevented

If you think that performing a job hazard analysis is just a waste of time, think again. This can save lives and even save the future f your company. Putting emphasis on the profit is not an ideal approach if you are aiming for global success.

Let JSABuilder help simplify and strengthen your company’s job hazard analysis program.