Page 112 - Occupational Health & Safety, September 2017

PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS
Incorporating JSAs Into Your Safety Process
All information captured by you and your team can be further analyzed and used in order to predict, mitigate, and avoid risk. BY FRANCO MARABOTTI
The job safety analysis process has many aliases and acronyms, although in its pure essence it’s a process by which jobs or tasks are assessed so that potential hazards can be identified and eliminated prior to the start of work.
Integrating this process into your overall pro- gram can be challenging and time consuming. This article will, at a high level, step you through four key considerations as you work to incorporate it into your workflow.
Step One: Establishing a Task
It’s necessary to first know the timing of and what tasks are occurring because this will provide an op- portunity to focus on the most-at-risk operations first. Advance notice lends opportunity to collaborate with the team in order to identify all of the hazards and the steps to mitigate the risk. Open communication is key, and supporting a culture of prevention and coaching to improve will lead to sustainable success.
Think about the upcoming tasks along with the associated risks. Which do you do most frequently? Which are the most error likely situations? Which, if an incident were to occur, would cause the most severe injury? Assign a ranking of 1-5 to each of these ques- tions for each task you do and then multiply the three together. Whichever has the highest number should typically be focused on first. This is a risk-based ap- proach directly correlated with frequency, probability, and severity. Staying plugged in via look-ahead or sta-
tus meetings is a great way to evaluate how the JSA process is performing.
Step Two: Developing the JSA
Developing a JSA requires a team approach. To do this effectively, ask yourself the following questions:
1. Who will be performing the work?
2. Who will be a comprehensive contributor who cares about how they perform the work?
3. How can I organize this such that everyone has input and can give feedback?
Employees, especially those at the hands-on level, typically have a perspective that is unique when it comes to identifying potentially hazardous conditions and frequently have a deep understanding of the job site and its riskiest areas. This depth of knowledge is a valuable tool to use when mitigating risk.
To begin, break the task down into manageable steps. All too often, JSA documents are developed that are multiple pages long and hard to read. This greatly reduces their use and effectiveness. Target five or fewer key steps to completing the activity, although note that some may be slightly longer.
For each step required to complete the task, think about the tenets of risk and how an individual might be affected. Are they using a ladder, near rotating equipment, or even working with chemicals? In the most basic sense—and something we can all relate to—let’s think about changing a tire. We have to raise the vehicle, loosen the lugs, remove the tire and re- place with the spare, tighten the lugs, and then lower the vehicle. What could go wrong here? The vehicle could fall, sharp edges could result in a laceration, we could be struck by passing vehicles, and we could strain ourselves removing the lugs or lifting the tires. There might be others, but these are where the pre- emptive discussions are valued.
Now, for each of the hazards identified, deter- mine what needs to be done to avoid being injured. Think about the hierarchy of hazard control start- ing with engineering, followed by administrative controls, and lastly personal protective equipment. Document it clearly and appropriately so that it’s not cumbersome to read and easy to understand.
Step Three: Training & Field Application
Now that the team has assembled the JSA, we need to make sure that it’s communicated to people engaged in the work and that the documents are made avail-
100 Occupational Health & Safety | SEPTEMBER 2017
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