Glossary · Risk estimation methods
Job hazard analysis (JHA)
Also known as: job safety analysis, JSA, JHA
In occupational safety, a job hazard analysis (JHA) is a task-focused method that identifies the hazards and controls for each step of a job. It breaks a job into steps, identifies what can go wrong in each and defines how to prevent it.
- Machine safety
- Human factors
- USA
In one sentence
A job hazard analysis (JHA) breaks a task into steps and assigns hazards and controls to each, making it a direct input for safe operating procedures.
Example
Before a die change on a press, a JHA lists each step, from isolating energy to lifting the die, and assigns controls such as lockout/tagout, a lifting device and blocking of the ram.
How it applies
- USA: OSHA publishes guidance on job hazard analysis and promotes it as a workplace tool, especially for jobs with high injury rates, new jobs and changed procedures.
- Human factors: Involve the workers who do the job. They know the actual steps, including shortcuts and workarounds that no manual describes.
- Technical documentation: A JHA maps naturally onto a safe operating procedure and onto structured task topics, where each step carries its own hazard statement. The DITA task model supports this structure.
- Machine safety: Manufacturers do not perform the user's JHA, but their instructions for maintenance and setting should give enough task detail for users to do one.
JHA vs. machine risk assessment
A machine risk assessment is carried out by the manufacturer for the machine over its lifecycle. A JHA is carried out by the employer for a specific job at a specific workplace.