How to Conduct a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) - Step by Step Guide

A Job Hazard Analysis is the most powerful safety tool most companies never use properly. It takes a complex job, breaks it into individual steps, and asks one question at each step: "What could go wrong here, and how do we prevent it?"

Done right, a JHA prevents injuries before they happen. Done wrong - or not at all - your crew is improvising their way through hazardous work with no safety net.

This guide walks you through conducting a JHA from start to finish, with a real-world example you can use as a template.

JHA vs. FLHA: What's the Difference?

These two get confused constantly. They are related but serve different purposes.

Job Hazard Analysis (JHA)

• Done BEFORE a new or non-routine task
• Detailed, step-by-step breakdown of the entire job
• Created by the supervisor, reviewed with the crew
• Kept on file and reused/updated for recurring tasks
• Typically 1-3 pages

Field Level Hazard Assessment (FLHA)

• Done DAILY at the work location
• Quick assessment of current conditions (weather, ground, nearby activities)
• Completed by the crew on site
• Specific to that day's conditions
• Typically one page, takes 5-10 minutes

Think of it this way: The JHA is the playbook for the job. The FLHA is the pre-game check of the field conditions.

You need both. The JHA tells your crew HOW to do the job safely. The FLHA tells them what is DIFFERENT today that could change the plan.

The 5 Steps of a Job Hazard Analysis

Step 1: Select the Job

Not every task needs a full JHA. Focus on:

• Jobs with a history of injuries or near-misses
• New tasks the crew has not performed before
• Tasks involving multiple trades or complex sequences
• High-energy work (heights, confined spaces, electrical, heavy lifts)
• Work near the public or other contractors

Do not JHA everything. If you try to analyze every routine task, the process becomes paperwork for paperwork's sake. Focus on the work that can actually hurt someone.

Step 2: Break the Job into Steps

Walk through the entire job from start to finish. List each step in sequence. Be specific enough to be useful, but not so detailed that you are documenting every hand movement.

Too vague: "Set up scaffold"
Too detailed: "Pick up base plate with right hand, place on ground 8 inches from wall"
Just right: "Install base plates and mud sills on level ground"

A typical JHA has 8-15 steps. If you have more than 20, you are probably combining multiple jobs into one analysis.

Step 3: Identify Hazards at Each Step

For every step, ask:

• What could go wrong?
• What is the worst-case outcome?
• Has this gone wrong before (on this site or others)?
• What could cause it to go wrong? (equipment failure, weather, human error, site conditions)

Common hazard categories:

• Struck by (falling objects, moving equipment, swinging loads)
• Struck against (sharp edges, protruding objects)
• Caught in/between (pinch points, rotating equipment, collapse)
• Fall (from height, same level, into opening)
• Contact with (electricity, chemicals, temperature extremes)
• Overexertion (lifting, pushing, pulling, repetitive motion)
• Exposure (noise, dust, fumes, radiation)

Tip: Have the crew help identify hazards. The people doing the work see hazards the supervisor misses.

Step 4: Determine Controls for Each Hazard

For every hazard identified, document the control measure using the hierarchy:

1. Eliminate: Can we remove the hazard entirely? (Use a different process, remove the energy source)
2. Substitute: Can we use something less hazardous? (Lower-toxicity chemical, lighter materials)
3. Engineering controls: Can we physically separate people from the hazard? (Guards, barriers, ventilation, scaffolding)
4. Administrative controls: Can we change how the work is done? (Procedures, training, rotation, signage)
5. PPE: What personal protection is needed? (Always the last line of defense, never the first)

Each hazard gets at least one control. If the control is "be careful" or "use common sense," you have not actually controlled anything.

Step 5: Review with the Crew and Document

A JHA that lives in a filing cabinet protects nobody. The analysis must be:

• Reviewed with every worker performing the job
• Available at the work location during the task
• Updated when conditions change or new hazards are identified
• Signed by the workers acknowledging they understand the hazards and controls

The review conversation matters more than the document. The value of a JHA is not the paper - it is the 10-minute discussion where the crew talks through what could go wrong and agrees on how to prevent it.

Real-World JHA Example: Installing Guardrails at Height

Common JHA Mistakes

1. Writing the JHA at a desk instead of at the work site.
The best JHAs are written while looking at the actual work area. Hazards that are obvious on site are invisible from an office.

2. Copying a generic JHA from the internet.
A JHA for "working at heights" downloaded from a template site is worthless if it does not address YOUR site, YOUR equipment, and YOUR crew's experience level.

3. Not updating the JHA when conditions change.
The JHA was written for dry conditions. It rained last night. The steel is slippery. If you do not update the analysis, you are working with a false sense of security.

4. Treating it as a one-time document.
A JHA should be reviewed before each time the task is performed, not just the first time. Conditions change. Crew members change. Equipment changes.

5. Not involving the workers.
If the foreman writes the JHA alone and hands it to the crew to sign, you have missed the entire point. The discussion IS the safety intervention.

Making JHAs Work in the Real World

On a busy construction site, nobody wants to fill out another form. The JHA process needs to be fast enough to actually get done and useful enough to justify the time.

Make Safety Easy turns JHAs from a dreaded paperwork exercise into a 10-minute digital process:

• Pre-built templates for common tasks (you customize once, reuse every time)
• Digital sign-off so every worker acknowledges the hazards on their phone
• Photo attachments to document specific site conditions
• Automatic archiving so you never lose a JHA and can pull any one up instantly
• Link to toolbox talks so the JHA discussion becomes part of your safety talk record

The JHA does not have to be a burden. It has to be a conversation about what could go wrong and how to prevent it. Everything else is just making sure that conversation is documented.