JSA’s for Challenging Tasks
Recently visited the historic Vicksburg National Military Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi. As my family and I were taking the tour around the Park, we stopped to watch an employee mowing a very challenging fortification, a bulwark, where in 1862 Confederate artillery held a stronghold against the Union Army of the Tennessee.
As a safety person I was curious on how their safety or facility management staff developed a procedure for this task.
What would their Job Safety Analysis (JSA) look like?
Use of JSAs is a best practice to improve safety performance and an effective process in developing procedures, especially for challenging tasks. I like using them, because its an opportunity to get employee buy-in.
The employees performing the task, participate in the safety decisions. Because they are the "expert" in regards to the task at hand, they help develop and implement the procedure. Because employees take ownership in the process and the control of identified hazards, this increases compliance and decreases potential for accidents and injury. Here’s an example of the basic steps in a simple JSA.
- Step 1: Identify each job task:
- Step 2: Identify the hazards associated with each task.
- Step 3: List hazard controls for each task, including any personal protective equipment (PPE) being used.
- Step 4: Document participants and have management approve any changes to procedures.
As with any procedure or process, best practice is to regularly measure and analyze the results to see if the JSA or developed procedure is actually working. This is a key step in continuous improvement. If you’re organization does Process Safety Management, Lean or other Kaizen activity, you understand the importance of periodic review.
What would their JSA look like? I’m sure it would have included all the typical hazards - flying particles, cuts and scrapes, etc., but how did they figure out that suspending the mower on ropes would be the solution?
After watching the employee use the ropes to maneuver the mower around the hill, I have a new appreciation for the dedication of their ground maintenance personnel.
Don’t think I’ll complain about having to mow my lawn again.