09 Nov The importance of a JSA
A job assessment prior to the start of a task or contract is not a new thing, but it’s increasingly important.
Take 5 steps back and 5 minutes to review and consider the way the work is to be done, as well as the actual or potential hazards and risks associated with the work to be carried out.
In the last two weeks, there have been two court cases because of workplace accidents that resulted in serious and long term injuries to employees – and in both cases, the lack of attention to the actual and potential hazards and risks had not been taken into consideration.
This is why the Job Safety Analysis (JSA) or Site-Specific Safety Plan (the SSSP) are so critical. On both accounts, it has proved to be very expensive for both companies. What would have been the cost for taking 10 – 15 minutes to involve the staff (a requirement of the Health and Safety at Work Act) in the pre-work risk assessment process?
In this hazard assessment, it pays to also consider the use of hired equipment/machinery or additional labour. If you are a civil contractor or any other contractor, how often have you had to hire equipment or machinery (e.g. a cherry picker) that was not allowed for in the contract price?
By using the JSA/SSSP as your planning tool prior to or in conjunction with your pricing for a contract, then the costly mistakes can be reduced significantly.
Please contact us if you would like to discuss.
Also read – JSAs – compliance, safety, or business opportunity?
Did you know that the online HASMATE program has a JSA module? It’s designed to speed up the planning process, and also allows copying of existing JSAs – for jobs that are similar. Click here to find out more…