Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) Template template

2. Roles and responsibilities

• JHA lead ([name/role]): decides which jobs get analyzed and in what order, approves completed JHAs, and owns this procedure.
• Supervisors: conduct JHAs for jobs in their area together with the workers who do them, and enforce the controls once approved.
• Workers: walk through their tasks with the analyst, flag hazards and near misses honestly, and follow the controls — the JHA describes their job, so their input is the raw material.
• [Name/role]: files completed JHAs, tracks review dates, and links each JHA to the training records of the people who do the job.

3. Selecting jobs to analyze

You cannot analyze everything at once. Prioritize jobs in this order and keep the list at [location/system]:

• Jobs with a history: any task involved in an injury, illness, or near miss at {{org.name}} or reported as a common cause of harm in our industry.
• Jobs with severe potential: tasks where one error could cause serious harm — work at height, lockout/tagout, confined spaces, powered equipment, hot work.
• New or changed jobs: new equipment, new materials, new processes, or a job moved to a new location — analyze before the first run, not after.
• Complex or infrequent jobs: tasks done rarely enough that nobody remembers the hazards, or that require written instructions to do at all.

4. Breaking the job into steps

1. 1Watch a competent worker perform the job at normal pace — do not analyze from memory at a desk.
2. 2List each major step in order, starting each with an action verb ("position the ladder", "open the valve"). Aim for [6–10] steps; more than that usually means you are analyzing two jobs.
3. 3Keep steps at a consistent level of detail — "operate the saw" hides hazards, "check the guard, position the stock, make the cut" exposes them.
4. 4Review the step list with the worker who performed the job and correct it before moving on to hazards.

5. Identifying hazards at each step

For every step, ask what could go wrong, what would the consequence be, how could it happen, and what makes it more likely. Use these prompts and record every credible answer on the worksheet — deciding what to control comes next, not now:

• Struck-by or caught-in: moving equipment, falling or flying objects, pinch points, rotating parts.
• Falls: work at height, ladders, slippery or uneven surfaces, floor openings.
• Energy: electrical contact, stored energy (pressure, springs, suspended loads), hot surfaces, unexpected startup.
• Substances: chemicals in use or nearby, dusts, fumes, and whether the safety data sheet has been checked.
• Ergonomics and environment: heavy or awkward lifting, repetition, noise, heat or cold, poor lighting, lone work.

6. Controlling hazards — the hierarchy of controls

For each hazard, work down the hierarchy in order and record the highest workable level on the worksheet. PPE is the last line of defense, not the first answer:

1. 1Elimination — remove the hazard entirely: redesign the task, do the work at ground level, stop using the material.
2. 2Substitution — swap in something less hazardous: a safer chemical, a lighter package size, a lower-voltage tool.
3. 3Engineering controls — isolate people from the hazard: guards, ventilation, barriers, interlocks, lift equipment.
4. 4Administrative controls — change how people work: written procedures, rotation, permits, housekeeping, training and supervision.
5. 5Personal protective equipment — specify exactly what is required for the step ([gloves type, eye protection, hearing protection, respirator]) and how workers get it and get it replaced.

7. The JHA worksheet

Each JHA is recorded on the standard worksheet at [location/system], one row per step, with three columns: the step, the hazards identified, and the controls required. The header records the job title, location, required PPE, analyst, workers consulted, date, and approval by [name/role].

The approved JHA is the training document for the job: everyone who performs the task reads it, is trained against it, and signs it — and it is kept where the job is done, not only on a server.

8. Review and records

Completed JHAs, sign-off sheets, and revision history are kept at [system/location] for [period]. Review each JHA [frequency, e.g. annually], after any injury or near miss on the job it covers, and whenever equipment, materials, or methods change — an outdated JHA that no longer matches the job is worse than none, because people learn to ignore it.

Owner: [name/role]. Next review due: [date].