ParrotNotes

Free Job Hazard Analysis Template (JHA Form)

Break the job into steps, write what can go wrong at each one and the controls that remove or reduce it, from elimination down to PPE. Rate the risk before and with the controls, tick the PPE the job needs, and print the JHA for the crew briefing or save it as a PDF. Start blank or from a common task: ladder work, lifting, a bench grinder or working near forklifts.

A template to organize your job hazard analysis, not legal advice. The OSHA standards for your industry, and your state plan where there is one, still apply.

What the job hazard analysis template covers

  • Job, location and people

    The job or task, where it is done, the date, who prepared the analysis and the supervisor responsible for the crew.

  • Required PPE

    Hard hat, safety glasses, face shield, hearing protection, gloves, safety footwear, high-visibility vest, fall protection harness, respirator, or your own.

  • Steps and hazards

    Each step of the job in the order it is done, and for each step what can go wrong, to whom and how.

  • Controls in hierarchy order

    Each control tagged elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative or PPE, and listed most effective first. A step that relies only on procedures and PPE is flagged.

  • Risk before and with controls

    Likelihood × severity on a simple 1 to 5 scale, banded low, medium or high, so you can see which steps need more work and whether the controls bring the risk down.

  • Responsible person and sign-off

    Who puts each control in place, lines for the crew briefed on the job, the preparer and approver signatures, and a date to review it again.

How to do a job hazard analysis

OSHA's booklet on job hazard analysis (OSHA 3071) describes it as a technique that focuses on job tasks to identify hazards before they occur, looking at the worker, the task, the tools and the work environment. It suggests starting with the jobs that have the highest injury or illness rates, the ones that could cause severe injuries even without a history of accidents, jobs where one simple error could lead to a severe injury, and jobs that are new or have changed.

Involve the people who do the job, and review the accident history and near misses first. Then watch the job being done and write down each step as the worker takes it, detailed enough to describe the action but not so detailed the list gets long. For each step ask what can go wrong, what the consequences are, how it could happen, what else contributes, and how likely it is. A hazard that poses an immediate danger is fixed right away, without waiting for the analysis.

For each hazard pick the controls, starting at the top of the NIOSH hierarchy of controls: elimination removes the hazard at the source, substitution uses a safer alternative, engineering controls keep the hazard from reaching workers, administrative controls change how the work is done, and PPE is worn to reduce exposure. NIOSH lists them from most to least effective. Review the analysis when the job changes and after an injury or close call, and train everyone affected on the new method.

Something went wrong on the job? Write it up with the incident report template.

Briefing the crew? Pick a topic for the toolbox talk from the safety meeting topics list.

JHA, JSA, risk assessment and incident report

Job hazard analysis (JHA)
This page: one job broken into steps, with the hazards and controls for each step. Done before the work, and reviewed when it changes.
Job safety analysis (JSA)
Another name for the same method; OSHA's booklet uses both terms.
Risk assessment
A wider look at the hazards of a workplace or process, often scored on a risk matrix. A JHA is a task-level risk assessment.
Incident report
Written after something happened: what, when, who, why and the corrective actions. Its findings feed back into the JHA for that job.

Tips for a JHA the crew will use

  • Write it with the crew

    OSHA's booklet stresses involving employees: they know the job, they spot hazards a supervisor misses, and they follow controls they helped choose.

  • Evaluate the job, not the worker

    Say so when you watch someone do the job. The aim is a safer method, not a performance review.

  • Climb the hierarchy first

    Ask whether the hazard can be removed, substituted or engineered out before you settle on a procedure or a pair of gloves. NIOSH notes the lower levels depend on people getting it right every time.

  • Keep it current

    Review it when the equipment, materials or crew change and after any injury or close call on the job, then brief everyone affected on what changed.

More for supervisors and safety leads: safety committee meeting minutes, construction daily report.

Sources (read 2026-10-30)

Brief the crew and keep the record

The JHA gets read out at the toolbox talk, and the crew's questions and extra hazards come up there. Record the briefing in ParrotNotes and get a transcript and a summary with the points raised and the follow-ups, ready to add to the next version of the analysis.

Get Started Free

Related tools

Job hazard analysis questions