Job Hazard Analysis (JHA): Template and How to Write One

A job hazard analysis (JHA) — also called a job safety analysis (JSA) — is one of the most effective safety tools on a construction site. Done well, it catches the hazards in a task before someone gets hurt, by breaking the work into steps and planning a control for each risk. This guide explains what a JHA is, gives you a template structure, and walks through how to write one that crews actually use.

What is a job hazard analysis?

A JHA is a systematic look at a specific task that identifies the hazards in each step and the controls that reduce them. Instead of a generic "be careful" safety talk, it asks a sharper question: for this exact job, what could hurt someone, and what will we do about it? The output is a simple document the crew reviews before starting work.

JHAs matter because most incidents aren't freak accidents — they're foreseeable hazards in routine tasks that nobody planned for. Writing the analysis forces that planning to happen.

The JHA template structure

A JHA has three core columns, plus a header:

Header: task/job name, date, location, crew or trade, and who prepared it.

Job Step	Potential Hazards	Controls / Safe Procedure
Break the task into sequential steps	For each step, what could cause harm	The specific control that eliminates or reduces the hazard

For example, for "set formwork":

Job Step	Hazards	Controls
Move form panels by hand	Back strain; pinch points	Two-person lift; gloves; clear path
Position at edge of excavation	Fall into excavation	Guardrail/barrier; maintain setback
Secure with stakes/hammer	Struck-by; hand injury	Safety glasses; keep hands clear; inspect tools

Finish with a sign-off from the crew who reviewed it.

How to write a JHA in four steps

1. Choose the task. Prioritize tasks that are high-risk, new, non-routine, or have a history of incidents or near-misses.

2. Break it into steps. Walk through the job in order, in plain language — usually 5 to 15 steps. Don't go so granular it becomes unusable, or so broad it hides hazards.

3. Identify the hazards in each step. For every step, ask what could cause harm: falls, struck-by, caught-in, electrical, chemical, ergonomic, environmental. Involve the crew who actually do the work — they know the real risks.

4. Determine controls for each hazard. Apply the hierarchy of controls: eliminate the hazard first, then substitute, then use engineering controls, then administrative controls, and PPE last. "Wear gloves" is a weaker control than "use a tool that removes the hand from the pinch point."

Making JHAs part of the daily routine

A JHA that lives in a binder no one opens is useless. The best crews review the relevant JHA at the start of the task, tie it into the daily toolbox talk, and update it whenever conditions change. And the review should be documented — a JHA that was actually discussed and signed by the crew is both safer and, if an incident ever occurs, evidence that the hazard was identified and controlled.

BuildLog helps you keep that safety documentation alongside your daily records. Capture safety observations, hazards, and the controls you put in place in your daily report on site, attach photos of conditions, and keep a dated, searchable record that a JHA was reviewed and followed. It works offline and exports branded PDFs, so your safety documentation lives in the same place as your daily reports. There's a free tier to start.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a JHA and a JSA? None, really — "job hazard analysis" and "job safety analysis" are two names for the same tool: breaking a task into steps to identify hazards and controls.

Who should write the JHA? Ideally a supervisor together with the crew who perform the task. Frontline workers know the real hazards, and involving them improves both the analysis and buy-in.

When should you do a job hazard analysis? Before high-risk, new, non-routine, or incident-prone tasks — and update it whenever the work, site conditions, or crew changes.

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