JOB HAZARD ANALYSIS & PRE-TASK PLANNING 13
13.3 JOB HAZARD ANALYSIS (JHA) PROGRAM BEST PRACTICES
The purpose of this section is to provide guidance to construction contractors to develop a new or improve their existing JHAs programs based on industry best practices .
Determine the jobs within your company to be analyzed . JHAs should be first developed for jobs with the highest risk . Risk is defined as the product of “severity” and “probability” of accidents and injuries (see Table 13-1) . High risk or hazard jobs include crane and rigging, demolition, con- fined space, public protection, etc . Other jobs to consider include any new job scope, jobs involving new equipment (e .g ., a new model of crane or excavator), jobs infrequently performed, and routine jobs that require deviation from documented procedures .
Table 13-1: Example of a Risk Assessment Code (RAC) (Used by permission from NOVA Group Inc.)
Severity Probability
Frequent Likely Occasional Seldom Unlikely
Catastrophic E E H H M
Critical E H H M L
Marginal H M M L L
Negligible M L L L L
Step 1: Review each “Hazard” with identified safety “Controls” and determine RAC (See above)
“Probability” is the likelihood to cause an incident, near miss, or accident and identified as Frequent, Likely, Occa-
sional, Seldom or Unlikely . RAC Chart
“Severity” is the outcome/degree if an incident, near miss, or accident did occur and identified as Catastrophic, Criti- cal, Marginal, or Negligible
H = High Risk
E = Extremely High Risk
Step 2: Identify the RAC (Probability/Severity) as E, H, M, or L for each “Hazard” on JHA . Annotate the overall highest RAC at the top of AHA .
L = Low Risk
M = Moderate Risk
Table 13-2: Example of Hazard Analysis for General Safety for weather exposure using RAC (Used by permission from NOVA Group Inc.)
Job Steps Hazards Controls RAC
General Safety
Requirements all Steps Exposure to Cold or Hot Weather
Dehydration
Minimum Personal Protective Equipment Dress:
• Long Pants
• Shirts with Sleeves
• Hardhat
• Covered Shoes (Steel Toe Preferred)
• Safety Glasses (Potential Eye Hazard Areas)
Weather:
• Wear appropriate clothing for the hot or cold weather .
(List specific clothing or refer to Com- pany quick sheet, SOPs, plan, etc. for specific details)
• Sun block
• Lip balm Dehydration:
• Drink at least ½ liter of water an hour .
• Refer to Company quick sheet, SOPs, plan, etc . for specific details on heat stress signs and symptoms .
L
The JHA is typically documented with a JHA worksheet . The worksheet usually consists of three columns:
1 . Break down the job sequence of individual steps, 2 . Identify the hazards associated with each step, and
3 . Develop control measures for each hazards including applicable regulatory, and project-spe- cific safety and health requirements associated with each hazard .
Job Sequence: Select an individual who is experienced and knowledgeable about the job to en- sure “all” the steps involved with the job is identified . For example, when developing a JHA for tower-crane operations, choose an experienced tower crane operator and rigger who can provide valuable input to the entire process . There is no scientific data on what is the optimum number of
“steps” for each JHA, but limiting it to ten steps would make it efficient .
Hazards: During the hazard identification phase it is critical to identify all actual and potential hazards, which by itself or interaction with other factors can cause harm . It is best practice to receive feedback from superintendents, general foreman, foreman, employees, safety professionals within the company (and outside the company), and trade associations . Review of your company accident data, industry accident data for that particular job or the trade that performs the job, insurance claims frequency and severity data for that industry classification, can also shed some light into hazard identification . For example, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)’s Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program identifies various
“factors” that contribute to fatal injuries and also provides comprehensive “recommendations” for preventing similar deaths . What are some of the most common hazards encountered on construction sites?
Caught In/Between
Chemical Burns
Chemical Spill
Compressed Gases
Confined Spaces
Crane
Electrical Shock
Elevated Work
Explosion
Falls from Elevations/Same level
Fire
Hazardous Chemicals
Heat Stress
High Noise Levels
Inadequate Access
Inhalation Hazard
Ladders
Lockout/Tagout
Manual Lifting
Mobile Equipment
Particles in Eyes
Poor Housekeeping
Radiations
Rigging
Scaffolding
Sharp Objects
Struck By
Thermal Burns
Controls: Similar to the hazard identification phase it will be beneficial to receive feedback from different stakeholders to identify control measures . As with any hazard, the first control that should be considered is engineering controls followed by administrative controls and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) being the last option .
o Engineering controls involves, to the extent feasible, to redesign the work environment and the job itself to eliminate hazards or reduce exposure to hazards . Engineering con- trols should be the first option in dealing with any hazards . The following principles as recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) should be followed: (a) if feasible, design the facility, equipment, or process to remove the hazard or substitute something that is not hazardous, (b) if removal is not feasible, enclose the hazard to prevent exposure in normal operations, and (c) where complete enclosure is not feasible,
establish barriers or local ventilation to reduce exposure to the hazard in normal operations . o Administrative controls involve altering the way work is performed such as job rotations,
etc .
o PPE introduces a barrier between the worker and the hazard, should be the last control method .
In addition, determine if there are other options available to perform the job . For example, make changes to concrete block cutting procedures so that they are cutting using wet methods that elim- inate silica dust versus using dry cutting methods that generate dust and the use of respirators .
Continuous Improvement: After successful development and implementation of the JHAs, in order to be effective, the JHAs should be reviewed periodically and updated as needed as part of the program’s continuous improvement process based on: (1) lessons learned from new accidents and injuries that requires revision of JHA, (2) feedback from workers and supervisors on particular job procedures, hazards, and control measures .
Training and Communication: How will the current and new workers get trained on the JHAs? How will changes to JHAs be communicated to the workers? How and who will the workers provide feedback with regards to the JHAs?
Example JHA: An example JHA form is presented in Exhibit 13-1 . Contractors can use this as a template to develop their own JHA form that suits their company’s needs .