A Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) can help prevent work-related injuries or illnesses by eliminating or controlling hazards. A JHA is a method for identifying and evaluating hazards associated with tasks (steps) for a specific job or activity and eliminating or controlling them before doing the activity. EH&S has created a JHA webpage to help departments and employees conduct and implement JHAs for their work activities. A JHA can help you identify worker training, needed equipment, and proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to perform work safely.
A JHA involves doing the following:
- Select the job/activity to be analyzed.
- Break the job/activity into a series of tasks.
- Identify potential hazards and credible consequences in each task.
- Identify the controls that can eliminate, prevent and/or reduce the severity of the consequence related to the hazards or hazard scenarios.
EH&S has created a JHA Template and Instruction Sheet to simplify the JHA process. It is best practice to involve workers who do or will do the jobs being analyzed during the process. UW EH&S encourages everyone to try creating JHAs for job specific hazards.
What do I do when the JHA is completed?
- Ensure equipment and supplies are acquired to perform the job/activity according to the JHA.
- Train workers in the procedures, controls and PPE according to the JHA.
- Review the JHA periodically and update it when the job/activity or equipment changes. Revise JHA as needed and retrain employees on the revised JHA.
- Consult EH&S to review JHAs as needed.
- Please send to EH&S your completed JHA so we can add it to the UW Job Hazard Analysis Library (coming soon) to help others do similar jobs safely.
More information for how to create and utilize JHAs can be found on the Job Hazard Analysis webpage.
EH&S is currently collaborating with UW partners to compile a Job Hazard Analysis Library to share hazard mitigation strategies across campus. The Job Hazard Analysis Library will include evaluation of tasks spanning a large range of activities, from woodworking to moving heavy loads, and will address hazards including noise, chemical exposure and electrical. There are infinite possibilities for the number and types of tasks that can be captured by JHAs.
EH&S is looking forward to working with stakeholders across campus to develop JHAs and create a robust library of JHAs. By compiling JHAs, EH&S hopes to help everyone do similar jobs safely.
For more information, please visit the Job Hazard Analysis page.