The Importance of a Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

Job Safety Analysis is a term that takes many forms in today’s workplaces and job sites, but the end result should be the same.  The purpose of a Job Safety Analysis is to identify where, in the job at hand, does risk present itself and how those directing and performing the job intend to mitigate that risk to an acceptable level.

Generally, the first step of any job safety analysis is to break the job down into specific steps that are going to be performed.  Each of the steps have specific hazards associated with them.  A hazard is an event that can occur during the step, which can take the form of: loss of life, injury, or impact on health, among many other negative outcomes.  It is important that the Job Safety Analysis break down the job into specific steps, with regard to hazards, because those hazards will be mitigated with “controls” based on the particular risk each hazard presents.

Risk is essentially marrying the (i) identified hazards associated with each task with (ii) the probability that such hazard will occur. Hypothetically, a dangerous hazard may present low risk because the probability of that dangerous hazard occurring may be nearly zero.  Conversely, a comparatively much less dangerous hazard may require significant controls to be put into place because the probability that such hazard will occur is nearly certain.  It is important to remember that the Job Safety Analysis must be conducted under the guiding principle that there is no reason to accept any unnecessary risk.

Now that the risk associated with each hazard has been determined, the hazards presenting unreasonable risk must be given controls in order to mitigate such risk.  It is important to keep in mind, however, that even those hazards that do not present “unreasonable” risk can and should be given controls, if possible.  As mentioned above, there is no reason to accept unnecessary risk. There are generally five accepted types of controls.  These controls, in order of general preference for their application to a hazard are: Elimination, Substitution, Engineering, Administrative and Personal Protective Equipment.  Visit the website for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for more information on each type of control and the general hierarchy of their preference.

With the job broken into tasks, the hazards identified, the risk of each hazard calculated and the controls of those hazards identified and applied, there is still one last step to the Job Safety Analysis.  The plan that was just created to reduce risk must be communicated to the individuals that need to know.  Unfortunately, this last critical step is overlooked at times and it negates all the work put into creating the Job Safety Analysis.  No Job Safety Analysis can be performed well enough to overcome a failure to communicate it to the workers involved in the work.  However, once communicated to the proper individuals, an employer and its employees will be ready to perform the job at hand having reasonably mitigated the associated risks.

Unfortunately, not every accident can be avoided.  Even more tragically, sometimes accidents occur when they could have been avoided if proper and reasonable care (such as a proper Job Safety Analysis) was taken by those responsible for safe working conditions.  These accidents can leave employees with lasting impairment that prevents them from ever working again.  Of course, even worse, they can be deadly.

Those touched by an accident in the workplace should know their legal rights and remedies, and act quickly to preserve them. At Spagnoletti Law Firm, our attorneys have extensive experience in cases involving workplace injury. Spagnoletti Law Firm has experience in courts across the country and the skills needed to represent the families of loved ones who have lost their lives or those that have been seriously injured due to someone else’s actions.