The University of Iowa

JSA FAQ's

What is a Job Safety Analysis (JSA)? 

  • Job Safety Analysis (JSA) is a systematic procedure that breaks each job/task into key training sequences, identifies safety elements of each job/task step and coaches the employee on how to avoid potential safety hazards.
  • Another commonly used term for this process is called a Job Hazard Analysis or JHA.
    • Both a JSA and JHA are considered the same thing.

What are the benefits of a JSA? 

  • Ensuring consistent and safe work methods.
  • Reducing injuries by helping employees know how to best perform a task without the likelihood of injury.
  • Provides a form of training documentation regarding the employee’s knowledge of the job safety requirements.
  • Complies with many OSHA requirements.

A JSA is recommended when:

  • A job/task has a high injury rate.
  • A job/task has the potential to cause severe or disabling injuries or illness, even if there is no history of previous incidents.
  • An employee has a safety concern about a job.
  • Jobs that are new to your operation or have undergone changes in processes and procedures.

Supervisors are responsible for:

  • Writing the JSA (with input from those performing the task)
  • Training affected staff at the time of hire, job rotation/transfer, changes in the job/task, or injury
  • Enforcing work rules

Employees are responsible for:

  • Reviewing all JSA’s for their job
  • Wearing all PPE required for the task
  • Following the recommended steps to perform a task in a safe manner