Job Hazard Analysis (JHA)
A written, step-by-step breakdown of a specific task's hazards and the controls used to address each one, completed before higher-risk work begins, also called a Job Safety Analysis (JSA) depending on the company.
Why it matters
A generic safety plan misses the hazards specific to today's actual task. A JHA forces a crew to think through a job's real steps in advance, so a hazard gets caught on paper before it gets caught the hard way in the field.
On a real project
Before a crew enters a [[concept-confined-space-entry|permit-required confined space]], they complete a JHA identifying atmospheric testing, ventilation, and rescue procedures as required controls, steps a generic safety orientation wouldn't have covered for that specific space.
Who this matters most to
A Safety Manager develops and reviews JHAs for a project's higher-risk activities. A Superintendent makes sure crews actually complete one before starting a task it applies to, rather than treating it as paperwork to fill out after the fact.
Where this goes wrong
A crew fills out a JHA as a formality, copying a previous one without actually discussing the current task's real hazards. A step the generic form didn't anticipate, an underground utility line in the wrong place, causes an incident a genuine, task-specific analysis would likely have flagged in advance.
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