First, congrats! The fact that you are being involved means that your skills and experience are being acknowledged. Now, a job hazard analysis is an important part of a safety and health program. Not every employer performs them. They aren’t explicitly mandated by OSHA in the U.S.A., but it’s really hard to know what hazards your workers are exposed to without doing JHAs. So, what the hell is a Job Hazard Analysis?
The “job” part refers to a specific task. This could be stamping a metal form, sanding the burs off of a piece of cut acrylic, or disassembling a nose landing gear from a Boeing 787. Whatever the job is, it needs to be broken down into steps and each step needs to be checked for the presence of hazards. For that stamping example, the steps might look like:
- Select a metal blank from the stock pile.
- Lift the metal blank.
- Carry the blank to the stamping machine.
- Place the blank in the operating area.
- Secure the blank in place.
- Trigger the machine to cycle.
- Release the stamped form from the securements.
- Remove the stamped form from the operating area.
- Carry the stamped form to the finished form stack.
- Place the form on the stack.
The list of steps should be as detailed and minute as possible. This is where worker input comes in and why your involvement is so important. You’ll need to be observed during a shift, preferably with video, photos, and a safety professional there to physically observe the process. These things are necessary to ensure that all steps are captured, even ones you might not consciously consider. Once the observation is complete, you’ll sit down with the safety observer and a team that should also include management and a union representative (if you have one). Together, you’ll identify the steps, then take a close look at each one, looking for hazards.
When you select the blank, do you need to handle it? Are there sharp edges that need to be guarded against? Is it heavy? How is the stock pile arranged? Does it require you to bend or reach?
When you lift the blank or stamped form and carry it, does its weight or size mean that you require assistance? Does the arrangement of the stock pile relative to your workspace require you to twist? Do you need to walk from the stock pile to the machine?
When you place the blank in the operating area and remove the stamped form from the operating area, is there a chance that the moving parts within the operating area may make contact with your body?
When securing the blank or releasing the stamped form, what actions are required? Could repetitive motion injuries result?
When you trigger the machine to cycle, how is that done? Can your limbs or body be within the operating area during a cycle?
When you place the stamped form on the stack, do you require assistance? Is the stack secure? Does the action require reaching, bending, or twisting?
All hazards get cataloged relative to the steps. Once the hazards are identified, the team will have to ask an important question about each hazard: How do we control it? I talked about the hierarchy of hazard controls previously, but the ranking from most to least effective goes: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, personal protective equipment. Let’s consider how this question gets answered for a set of specific hazards we’ve already looked at above.
The stock pile you draw from is located to the right of the machine you operate. The stock is stored on a shoulder-height shelf fifteen feet away from the machine. Each metal blank is four feet (121.9 cm) long, three feet (91.4 cm) wide, and half an inch (1.27 cm) thick. Each blank, we’ll say aluminum for the sake of the example, weighs 84.28 pounds (38.23 kg). First hazard: you have to reach to access the blank. Can the shelf be lowered to eliminate reaching? Second: The size and weight are more than a single individual should lift alone. Can either a team lift or an assistive device be employed? Third: The distance between the stock pile and the machine requires moving the blank an awfully long distance. Can the shelf be relocated to be closer to the machine? Does the workspace allow for an assistive device (crane, mobile winch, hoist) to travel that distance or for the team lifting to travel that distance? Is there a chance that the blank could strike other workers or equipment while in motion? Could the blank drop and injure the worker(s) moving it?
It is important for you, the process operator, to be detailed and direct with your inputs. Management often won’t know why a workspace is arranged a certain way. Maybe there are constraints that mean the stock pile cannot be lowered or relocated. You’ll have that information, presumably. This is also an opportunity for you to step back and ask if the way things “have always been done” are the way things need to be done. Be open to new methods.
The JHA process isn’t a simple or a short one, but it is important. Identifying machine guarding and process improvement needs will help prevent injuries to you and any other workers who perform the same job as you.