One Excel sheet that breaks a job into steps, lists the hazards in each step, and scores each hazard before and after controls. Severity × likelihood is calculated for you, each score is graded High, Medium or Low against thresholds you set, and a summary shows what is still high after controls.
Tip: Watch the job being done before you write the steps. The written method and the real method often differ, and the hazards live in the real one.
Header
Job or task, area and equipment, prepared and reviewed by, required PPE, and your High and Medium thresholds
Steps and hazards
Each job step in order, with the hazard in that step
Initial risk
Severity and likelihood (1–5), the calculated score and its level
Controls
What you will do about it and where it sits in the hierarchy of controls
Residual risk
Severity and likelihood with controls in place, the calculated score and level, and who owns the control
Summary
Hazards listed, High before and after controls, Medium after controls, and the highest remaining score
Example JSA for changing the blade on a horizontal band saw at Example Fabrication Co., a fictional metal fabricator. High is a score of 15 or more and Medium is 8 to 14. The steps, scores and controls are invented for illustration; score your own jobs with your own team and follow the saw manufacturer’s instructions.
| Job / task | Change the blade on band saw BS-02 |
|---|---|
| Prepared / reviewed by | Maintenance Lead / EHS Coordinator |
| Required PPE | Safety glasses, cut-resistant gloves, safety shoes |
| Thresholds | High ≥ 15, Medium ≥ 8, otherwise Low |
| Step | Hazard | S × L | Initial | Controls | Residual S × L | Residual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Shut down and lock out | Saw starts while hands are in the blade path | 5 × 3 = 15 | High | Lock out at the disconnect per the LOTO procedure; try the start button | 5 × 1 = 5 | Low |
| 2. Release tension, remove blade | Cuts from teeth; blade springs out | 3 × 4 = 12 | Medium | Release tension fully before opening guards; gloves; teeth facing away | 3 × 2 = 6 | Low |
| 3. Uncoil and fit new blade | Coiled blade springs open toward the face | 3 × 3 = 9 | Medium | Uncoil on the floor away from the body; face shield and gloves | 2 × 2 = 4 | Low |
| 4. Tension blade, close guards | Over-tensioned blade breaks | 3 × 2 = 6 | Low | Tension to the manufacturer’s setting with the gauge | 3 × 1 = 3 | Low |
| 5. Remove locks, test run | Another person near the blade at restart | 4 × 2 = 8 | Medium | Check area clear, guards closed, announce restart | 4 × 1 = 4 | Low |
| Hazards listed | 5 |
|---|---|
| High before / after controls | 1 / 0 |
| Medium after controls | 0 |
| Highest residual score | 6 |
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Job / task | One job with a clear start and end. If the JSA runs past 10 to 12 steps, split it into two jobs. | Change the blade on band saw BS-02 |
| Job step | What is done, in order, starting with a verb. Describe the action, not the hazard or the control. | Release tension, remove blade |
| Hazard | What could hurt someone in this step and how: the source and the type of harm. | Cuts from teeth; blade springs out |
| Severity (1–5) | The worst credible injury from this hazard. Define each number on your own scale, for example 1 first aid to 5 fatality or permanent disability, and use it every time. | 3 |
| Likelihood (1–5) | How likely that injury is with the current method, from 1 rare to 5 expected. Base it on the job, not on how careful the current operator is. | 4 |
| Controls | Specific actions. “Be careful” is not a control. Work down the hierarchy: eliminate, substitute, engineer, then administrative controls and PPE. | Release tension fully before opening guards |
| Control type | Where the main control sits in the hierarchy, so reviewers can see when a job relies only on PPE or procedures. | Administrative + PPE |
| Residual severity / likelihood | Rescore with the controls in place. Severity often stays the same; good controls usually lower likelihood. | 3 / 2 |
| Thresholds | The scores at which risk becomes High and Medium. Set them once, in your safety procedure, and keep them the same across all JSAs. | High ≥ 15, Medium ≥ 8 |
| Responsible | Who makes sure the control is in place, such as the lead who issues the face shield or maintains the guard. | Maintenance Lead |
In practice they are the same tool. Job hazard analysis (JHA) is the term OSHA uses in its guidance; job safety analysis (JSA) is common in industry. Both break a job into steps, identify the hazards in each and set controls.
OSHA’s general industry standards do not require a document called a JSA for every job, but they do require a written, certified hazard assessment for PPE, and some standards and customers require documented hazard analysis. A JSA is a practical way to meet those and to show how you control the hazards.
Multiply severity by likelihood, each on a 1 to 5 scale, to get a score from 1 to 25. Set the High and Medium thresholds once in your safety procedure. This template uses 15 and 8 by default; you can change them in the header.
After any injury or near miss on the job, whenever the equipment, materials or method change, and on a regular schedule your safety program sets. Review it with the crew before they start a job that is done rarely.
No. A JSA covers every hazard in a job. When a step involves servicing equipment that could start up or release stored energy, the JSA should point to the machine’s lockout/tagout procedure, which sets out the exact isolation and verification steps.
COPLAIN AI PLATFORM
Turn the finished JSA into the method people actually follow. Upload the procedure and Coplain builds a visual job aid with numbered steps and the safety warnings at the step where they apply, ready for your review.
Generate yours automatically with Coplain →