Job Safety Analysis (JSA) is a methodical process that divides every job or task into a series of critical practices to ensure a safe and hazard-free workspace. It's also referred to as Job Hazard Analysis (JHA)in the heavy asset industries, because of its emphasis on identifying all the mining hazards and safety elements.
The four fundamental processes in performing a JSA are:
1. Choosing the job to be analyzed
2. Breaking the job down into a series of steps
3. Identifying potential hazards
4. Deciding preventive methods to combat these hazards
Job Safety Analysis builds essential training sequences, pinpoints safety components in each job or task step, and instructs the employee on how to avoid potential safety hazards.
Ideally, a JSA should be performed on every task in the mining industry. A JSA may be difficult to complete in some circumstances due to the amount of time and effort required. In addition, every JSA would need revisions in case the machinery, raw materials, processes, or environmental conditions change. This necessitates identifying which jobs need to be analyzed. The most critical jobs are analyzed first, even if all jobs are being analyzed.
Factors to be considered insetting a priority for the analysis of jobs include:
1. Accident frequency and Severity: Jobs with high accident frequency or jobs where accidents occur infrequently but result in serious injuries.
2. Potential for severe injuries or Illnesses: The consequences of an accident, hazardous condition, or exposure to harmful products are potentially severe.
3. Newly established Jobs: Due to a lack of experience in these jobs, hazards may not be evident or anticipated.
4. Modified Jobs: New hazards may be associated with changes in job procedures.
5. Infrequently performed Jobs: Workers may be at greater risk when undertaking non-routine jobs, and a JSA provides a means of reviewing hazards.
The final stage in a JSA is to determine ways to eliminate or control the hazards identified. The generally accepted measures, in order of preference, are:
1. Eliminate the hazard
There is no substitute for elimination and the most effective way to achieve that is by following these steps:
• Implement alternative processes or equipment or modify existing ones
• Use a less hazardous substitute
• Upgrade the workspace environment
2. Contain the hazard
A worker booth, machine guard, enclosure, or similar device might prevent contact with the hazard if it cannot be eliminated.
3. Revise work procedures
Another effective measure is to reform actions that are prone to risks, altering the step sequence, or even additional steps that are specific to your operations.
4. Reduce the exposure
As the name suggests, this step could be considered the least effective as it doesn't guarantee control over the situation and hazard. Hence, it must only be an option if the other steps cannot be carried out. The most straightforward way of reducing exposure is to minimize the frequency of encounters with the hazard. For example, timely changes/modifications in machinery and tools to keep them well-maintained. Establishing rules for personal protective gear along with emergency provisions/facilities to reduce the severity of incidents should be encouraged.
When explaining the preventive measures, do not depend on generalized cautions like "be careful" or "use caution". The best warnings are those that describe the corrective action and how it should be carried out in detail.
Job Safety Analysis is frequently conducted via pen-and-paper, where employees fill out a checklist and submit it before starting work. However, filing, storing, and managing these documents can be a time-consuming and expensive task. It's much easier and more efficient to use a digital Job Safety Analysis system such as the one built into Grid. It's available as a template, which means you can set it up in minutes, and have your employees begin using it immediately.
