JSA / JHA (Job Safety Analysis / Job Hazard Analysis)

What is a Job Safety Analysis?

A JSA is the operational bridge between your high-level safety management system and the actual work being performed on the ground. While policies reside in manuals, the JSA lives in the field.

It answers three critical questions for your workforce before they engage with the tools: What are the precise steps required to complete this task? What can go wrong at each step? How will we ensure it doesn't go wrong?

The JSA acts as a cognitive forcing function. It compels workers to pause, visualize the task, and engage their risk awareness before entering the hazardous zone. In the Australian context, where the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 mandates a primary duty of care to ensure safety "so far as is reasonably practicable," the JSA is your primary evidentiary tool demonstrating that this thought process has occurred.

JSA vs JHA: What's the Difference?

In Australia, Job Safety Analysis (JSA) and Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) are effectively synonymous and are used interchangeably. There is no legislative distinction between the two under Australian WHS laws—both refer to the same task-based risk assessment process.

JSA is historically the dominant term in Australian manufacturing, construction, and logistics, emphasizing the "Safety" outcome. JHA is often preferred by organizations with US-based parent companies (due to OSHA terminology) or those wishing to emphasize the "Hazard" identification phase.

Related Terminology

JSEA (Job Safety and Environmental Analysis): In sectors like mining, civil construction, and oil and gas, the JSEA extends the traditional JSA framework to explicitly include environmental hazards. For example, a hydraulic hose rupture becomes both a safety hazard (fluid injection injury) and an environmental hazard (soil contamination), triggering additional controls like spill kits and bunding.

THA (Task Hazard Analysis): Frequently encountered in the resources sector, a THA is often a dynamic, field-level risk assessment completed by the work crew immediately prior to starting. In many Safety Management Systems, THA is simply another name for a Field JSA.

JSA vs SWMS: The Critical Distinction

The confusion between a JSA and a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is one of the most common compliance failures in Australian construction and high-risk industries. They are not interchangeable, and using the wrong one can leave your organization legally exposed.

A SWMS is often a high-level document covering a broad activity like "Use of Mobile Plant." However, on a specific day, the excavator might be working near a retaining wall in the rain. A JSA bridges the gap between the static SWMS and the dynamic reality of that day's environment, covering the "Daily Risks" like muddy ground, glare from the sun, or interaction with a new subcontractor.

How to Conduct a Job Safety Analysis

Phase 1: Job Selection and Prioritization

You cannot and should not write a JSA for every single movement a worker makes. Doing so creates "safety clutter" that dilutes the value of the system. Prioritize based on these triggers:

When a JSA is required: The task is new with no Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). The task is performed infrequently (annual shutdowns) so workers lack muscle memory. A routine task is being done in a non-routine environment (changing a pump on a scaffold in the rain versus in a workshop). The task has a history of injuries or near-misses. The task involves multiple work groups or complex isolations.

When a JSA is not required: Routine, low-risk tasks like office work. Tasks fully covered by an existing SOP where conditions have not changed—reviewing the SOP is sufficient.

Phase 2: Task Decomposition

Break the job into logical steps. This is where most JSAs fail—they either lack detail ("Step 1: Do the job") or are too detailed ("Step 1: Pick up wrench with left hand"). Aim for 5 to 10 steps.

Observe the work as it is actually done (Work as Done), not how the manual says it should be done (Work as Imagined). Watch the worker. Ask them what they do first, second, third.

Example: Changing a vehicle tyre breaks down as: Park vehicle on level ground and apply parking brake. Set up exclusion zone and traffic management. Loosen wheel nuts while wheel is on ground. Position jack and lift vehicle. Remove wheel and install spare. Lower vehicle and torque wheel nuts. Remove traffic controls and clean up.

Phase 3: Hazard Identification

For each step, identify what could go wrong. Don't rely on generic terms like "Be Careful." Use specific hazard categories to prompt thinking: Gravity (falling objects, falls from heights, trips), Motion/Mechanical (vehicles, machinery, entrapment), Electrical (live wires, overhead lines), Chemical (fumes, dusts, liquids), Thermal (hot surfaces, fire, sun exposure), Pressure (hydraulic lines, compressed air), Biological (snakes, spiders, bacteria), Psychosocial (fatigue, rushing, distraction), and Ergonomic (manual handling, repetitive movement).

Identify the hazard (the source of harm), not just the incident. "Uneven ground obscured by long grass" is better than "Broken leg."

Phase 4: Risk Assessment

Many JSA templates include a risk matrix (Likelihood × Consequence) to assign a risk score. Assess both the inherent risk (before controls) and residual risk (after controls).

If the residual risk remains "High" or "Extreme," work must not proceed. The job must be stopped and redesigned, or higher-level controls engineered. You cannot sign off on a JSA that leaves a worker in high danger.

Phase 5: Control Selection

Apply controls using the hierarchy of controls. You cannot simply choose the easiest control (PPE)—you must start at the top and work down.

The hierarchy: Elimination (physically remove the hazard—do the work on the ground instead of at height). Substitution (replace the hazard—use a non-toxic solvent). Isolation (separate people from the hazard—install barriers, use Lock Out Tag Out). Engineering (physical controls—use a trolley to lift loads, install ventilation). Administration (processes and training—the JSA itself, signage, rotation). PPE (the last line of defence—gloves, boots, hard hat).

A JSA that lists "PPE" as the primary control for everything is weak. For noise hazards, strong controls include turning off unnecessary equipment (Elimination) or using sound barriers (Isolation), with earplugs as secondary protection.

Legal and Regulatory Context

Primary Duty of Care

Under Section 19 of the WHS Act, the Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers. This duty includes providing safe systems of work and necessary information, training, and supervision.

The JSA is the industry-standard mechanism for satisfying this requirement for non-routine or specific tasks. If an incident occurs, a regulator will invariably ask: "Did you identify the hazard? Did you provide a system to manage it?" The JSA is your answer. Failure to produce evidence of this risk management process can lead to prosecution.

Officer Due Diligence

Officers of your organization (Directors, CEOs, Executives) have a personal duty under Section 27 to exercise due diligence. Implementing a robust JSA process demonstrates that officers are not merely relying on "common sense" but have verified that a system exists to capture and control operational risks.

Duty to Consult

The WHS Act places a strict duty on PCBUs to consult with workers who are likely to be directly affected by a matter relating to work health and safety. Consultation must involve sharing information, giving workers a reasonable opportunity to express their views, and taking those views into account.

The JSA is not intended to be a document written by a manager in an office and handed to a crew to sign. That's "instruction," not "consultation." To comply, the JSA process must involve the workers doing the job. They must participate in identifying the steps and hazards. A "tick and flick" JSA where workers sign without input is legally fragile and may constitute a breach of the consultation duty.

State-Specific Nuances

Victoria: Victoria operates under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004. While JSAs are not explicitly mandated by name in the Act, they are a "useful tool" and highly recommended by WorkSafe Victoria for identifying hazards.

Queensland: The Mining and Quarrying Safety and Health Act 1999 and regulations have specific requirements regarding Standard Operating Procedures. Where a procedure does not exist, a JSA (or similar risk assessment) is often the mandatory trigger to allow work to proceed.

Western Australia: Having adopted the WHS Act in 2022, WA now aligns with the national model. However, the mining sector in WA retains a heavy cultural reliance on JHA and Take 5 as primary field risk tools.

The Human Factor: Consultation and Culture

A JSA is technically a document, but operationally it's a conversation. Its effectiveness depends entirely on the culture of the team using it.

Involve the Experts

The people holding the tools are the experts in the task. Management must facilitate the JSA, not dictate it. Workers must feel safe to raise hazards without fear of being seen as complainers or delaying the job. A culture where a worker can say "I think this step is dangerous" and the supervisor listens is a culture that prevents accidents.

Integrate JSA into Toolbox Talks

The JSA should form the script for the daily pre-start or toolbox talk. Best practice: Crew gathers at the work front (not the crib room). Supervisor or leading hand reads the JSA steps out loud. Crew actively verifies: "Is that hazard actually here?" "Has the rain changed the ground condition?" Crew marks up the JSA with pen to add new hazards found on the spot. All crew sign the JSA.

A pristine, clean JSA is often a sign of a cut-and-paste job. A messy, scribbled-on JSA shows active engagement.

Sign-Off and Accountability

Who signs? The creator (the person who drafted the JSA), the reviewer (usually a supervisor who verifies controls are adequate), and the work party (every worker involved in the task).

By signing, the worker states: "I have been consulted, I understand the hazards, and I agree to follow these controls." This is crucial for their own Section 28 duties (Duty of Workers to take reasonable care). If a worker arrives late, work must stop, they must be briefed on the JSA, and they must sign it before touching a tool.

Critical Limitations and Challenges

The "Tick and Flick" Failure Mode

The most common operational failure occurs when a crew arrives, one person pulls out a JSA pad, ticks "Low Risk" on everything, signs for everyone, and throws it in the ute. No hazard identification occurred. The JSA is legally worthless and operationally dangerous.

Counter-measure: Supervisors must audit the process of the JSA, not just the paperwork. Watch the discussion. Ask workers: "What is the critical risk on this JSA?" If they can't answer, the JSA failed.

The Bureaucratization of Safety

Safety science warns of the "Bureaucratization of Safety"—when the process of safety (filling out forms) becomes more important than the outcome of safety (managing risk). Organizations measure safety by "Number of JSAs completed" rather than the quality of the conversation.

Workers disengage. They fill out the form to satisfy the boss, not to stay safe. They copy-paste hazards from yesterday's form, missing the new hazard present today. A JSA should build capacity (knowledge and awareness), not just serve as a liability shield for the company.

Limitations of Linear Thinking

JSAs assume work is linear (Step 1 → Step 2 → Step 3). However, complex systems are non-linear. A JSA might miss how your safe work interacts with another crew working nearby. JSAs must include a "SIMOPS" or "Surrounding Environment" step to capture these non-linear risks.

Administration and Record Keeping

Record Retention

There is no single line item in the WHS Regulations specifying retention periods for JSAs, but they are records of your risk management process. Best practice is to retain JSAs for 7 years. This aligns with general business record-keeping standards and the statute of limitations for many civil negligence claims.

If the JSA relates to specific hazards like asbestos or hazardous chemicals where health monitoring is required, records may need to be kept for 30 years or even 75 years for some cancer-related exposures. If a JSA is associated with a notifiable incident, it must be kept indefinitely (or at least until all legal avenues are exhausted, often 7+ years).

Digital JSA Systems

The industry is rapidly moving from paper pads to digital apps. Advantages include auditability (GPS and timestamp verification), photo evidence of hazards and controls, version control, and automated alerts. Disadvantages include pre-population encouraging "tick and flick" and screen fatigue reducing collaboration.

Use software that forces custom entries for critical hazards and prevents 100% copying of data from previous JSAs.