Why Jobs Go Wrong
The everyday reasons that planned work turns into an injury, and how a JSA helps.
8 min
Activities: 0 of 2
Most injuries at work do not happen during strange or rare events. They happen during normal jobs: changing a pump, lifting a load, cleaning a tank, moving a drum. The people doing the work are often skilled and careful. So why do these jobs still go wrong?
A job safety analysis (JSA) is one of the simplest tools for answering that question before the work starts. The crew looks at the job step by step, asks what could hurt someone at each step, and agrees how to stop it. This course teaches you to take part in a JSA, to write one, and to use it at the worksite.
Who the course is for
The course is for supervisors, technicians, operators, contractors and new safety staff. You do not need any earlier training in risk assessment. Every term is explained when it first appears.
Common reasons jobs go wrong
Worked example: a simple valve change
A two-person crew is told to change a small valve on a water line. It seems easy. During a short JSA they discover three things. First, the line is still connected to a pump that can start automatically. Second, the valve weighs about 25 kg and sits above head height. Third, the drain point is blocked, so water will remain in the pipe. Each of these could injure someone. Each one now has a control: isolate and lock the pump, use a chain block to lower the valve, and drain the line through a temporary hose before breaking the flange.
Worked example: cleaning a sump
A cleaning contractor must remove sludge from a shallow sump. The JSA shows that the sump can collect gas from a nearby drain. The crew adds gas testing before and during the work. Without the JSA, the sump would have been treated as "just cleaning".
In the valve change example, what did the JSA add that the crew did not have before?