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Accidents at Work
October, 2010
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By Carola Hicks
By law, employers in Canada are responsible for assessing workplace health and safety risks and for putting measures in place to ensure worker safety. Job Safety Analysis (JSA) is an important part of that responsibility. It focuses on the relationship between the worker, the task, the tools, and the work environment and is intended to identify hazards, specific to the job, before they occur.

  

 

The JSA process starts with selecting the job to be analyzed. Questions to consider when selecting the job include:

  • Where do accidents occur most frequently?
  • Are the consequences of an accident, hazardous condition, or exposure to a harmful substance potentially severe?
  • Is this a newly created job?
  • Has a job recently been modified?
  • What are the non-routine or infrequently performed jobs?

Let’s use printing a large format vinyl banner as an example. After the specific job has been selected, a JSA is conducted following these three steps: 

1. Break it down
Break the job into tasks, noting what actions are required for each, rather than how they are done. Most tasks can be summarized in less than 10 steps. These steps should be kept in sequence as any step out of order may miss serious potential hazards or introduce new hazards.

Tasks may include:

  • Lifting and carrying a heavy roll of vinyl
  • Handling a sharp knife/guillotine or other cutting tool
  • Using toxic paints, thinners, cleaners etc.

2. Identify hazards

Carefully analyze each task and list the potential hazards for each, based on your observations of the job, known causes of accident and injury and work experience. Seek the input of workers who have experience in that job.

Hazards may include:   

  • A worker new to the job
  • Lifting a weight that is too heavy for the individual (back strain)
  • Slipping and falling when housekeeping (tidiness) isn’t maintained
  • Risk of cutting oneself or amputation with the knife/guillotine

3. Determine preventive measures
The final stage in a JSA is to determine practical ways to prevent or control identified hazards.

Eliminate or contain the hazard by choosing a different process, modifying an existing process, improving the environment or changing the hazardous substance or tools being used whenever possible.

Controlling the hazard may include:

  • Training the worker who is new to the job
  • Using a cart/trolley/mechanical assistance to transport heavy rolls/materials
  • Ensuring work areas are kept clean and tidy
  • Using sharp cutting instruments (dull blades increase risk of injury)
  • Ensuring machinery is mounted/anchored securely (won’t slip)
  • Ensuring safety guards are in place (automatic shut-off)
  • Using proper protective equipment

Modify hazardous work procedures. Change the sequence of steps or add additional steps to the job process if practical.

Reduce exposure. These measures are the least effective and should only be used if no other solutions are possible. If an accident occurs, availability of a first aid kit and someone trained in first aid are essential as a first line of treatment.

Job Safety Analysis may take a little extra time but will pay huge dividends in terms of preventing worker injuries, lost time, not to mention fines issued by ministries of labour when injuries occur.

Carola Hicks is CEO of Workplace Safety Group, providers of Health and Safety resources to specialty industries. They are the selected training provider to SAC-AC members. Carola has worked as a health care provider for over 38 years, sharing her wealth of health and safety knowledge. Contact her at 1 866 347 7707 or carola@workplacesafetygroup.com

  
 
 
 
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