The Characteristics Of A Well-Written Step In A JHA
The process of “analysis” in the context of a JHA includes breaking the “whole” job down into its basic steps. The idea is to carefully describe actions and hazards within each step, and finally how to mitigate those hazards through preventive measures.
Every Step Has an Actor and Action(s)
Each step of a procedure describes what the worker (actor) does (action), so let’s take a look at each of these two components:
- Actor: The actor is the person accomplishing the action. The actor may perform or NOT perform a particular action in a step.
- Action: An action is “the something” that is done by an actor. Actions may or may not be observable. Actions may describe an activity that is accomplished or not accomplished.
If two or more employees are performing the job, identify the employee (actor) first and then the action(s). If only one employee is performing the job, there’s no need to identify the actor.
Write the step in active tense. See the example of active and passive tense below:
- Active tense: “Place the lockout device on the hasp.”
- Passive tense: “The lockout device is to be placed on the hasp.”
The table below shows an example of the first three steps in the JHA. Notice that the two persons performing the job are identified.
