How to Write a JHA (Job Hazard Analysis)

The textbook version is four steps. The version that holds up in the field is five. The extra step — verifying the controls work — is the one most JHAs skip and the one most often called out in audits.

Step 1 — Select the job

The first step in a job hazard analysis is selecting which job to analyze. Not every task warrants a JHA. The ones that do:

• Jobs with a history of injury or near-miss
• Jobs with severe potential consequences (fall, crush, electrocution, fire)
• New jobs or new processes
• Jobs that change frequently (different sites, different conditions)
• Jobs covered by OSHA standards that require written hazard analysis (confined space, energized electrical work, etc.)

Document the selection criteria. When an inspector asks why you have JHAs for some tasks and not others, "we picked these because of X" is a defensible answer; "we picked these because we had time" is not.

Step 2 — Break the job into steps

Watch the job being done. Don't write from memory. Each step is one verb. Each verb is one action. If you have a step that says "set up and operate the saw," that's two steps. Break it.

Typical JHAs run 6–12 steps. Fewer than 5 and you've probably lumped actions together. More than 15 and you're probably describing multiple jobs — compare against the worked examples for sensible step counts by trade.

Step 3 — Identify the hazards in each step

For each step, ask: what can go wrong here, and how would someone get hurt? Use the standard hazard categories as a checklist:

• Struck-by, struck-against, caught-in, caught-between
• Fall from elevation, fall on same level
• Electrical (shock, arc flash)
• Chemical (inhalation, skin, eye, ingestion)
• Physical (noise, vibration, heat, cold, radiation)
• Ergonomic (repetitive, awkward posture, manual handling)
• Biological (sharps, bloodborne, mold)
• Fire and explosion

One hazard per row in your table. Don't lump "slips, trips, falls" — those are three different hazards with three different controls.

Step 4 — Specify controls in the right order

The hierarchy of controls is non-negotiable. Engineering controls first, administrative second, PPE last. PPE alone almost never passes a serious review.

1. Elimination / substitution. Don't do the task at all, or do it differently.
2. Engineering controls. Guards, ventilation, isolation, interlocks.
3. Administrative controls. Permits, procedures, training, signage, rotation.
4. PPE. What the worker wears.

Cite the OSHA standard where the control comes from. "Trench protection per 1926.652" is defensible. "Trench protection" is not — and a missing citation is one of the fields auditors check first.

Step 5 — Verify the controls work

This is the step most JHAs skip. After the controls are written, walk through them with the crew and ask: do these actually reduce the risk to acceptable? Rate the residual risk. If it's still high, add more controls or change the approach.

Document the residual rating on the form. An inspector who sees an initial risk of "high" with controls listed and no residual rating will ask why — and won't accept "we just figured it was OK."

Sign-off, review, and update

The completed JHA needs:

• The prepared-by name and date
• The competent-person review signature and date
• The supervisor approval
• Crew acknowledgment at the morning huddle on the day of the work
• A defined review date (annual at minimum; sooner if conditions change or there's an incident)

Common mistakes

• Writing the JHA at a desk instead of watching the work
• Listing hard hat and gloves for every hazard regardless of relevance
• Skipping OSHA references — "controls" with no standards cited
• One paragraph instead of separated steps
• No residual risk after controls
• No crew sign-off — anonymous JHAs don't count

Write your JHA in Riskora

Build a job-specific document in minutes with the US JHA generator. Describe the task, refine the job steps, hazards and controls, then download a professional PDF. Your first safety document is free, with no card required. Add competent-person sign-off from Starter and crew briefings with QR sign-on from Team.

Related: JHA form fields · Worked JSA examples · Does OSHA require a JHA?