Identifying Potential Hazards Step Two:

The Job Task Analysis (JTA) is an important accident prevention tool that works by finding hazards and eliminating or minimizing them before the job is performed, and before they have a chance to become accidents.

Set priorities for doing JTAs for jobs that have a history of many accidents, jobs that have produced disabling injury or death, and new jobs with no accident history. Here’s how to conduct the second part of a Job Task Analysis:

a. Identify the hazards associated with each step. Examine each step to find and identify hazards, actions, conditions, and possibilities that could lead to an accident.

b. It is not enough to look for obvious hazards. It is also important to look at the entire environment and discover every conceivable hazard that might exist.

c. Be sure to list health hazards as well, even though harmful effect may not be immediate. A good example is the harmful effect of inhaling a solvent or chemical dust such as asbestos, over a long period of time.

d. It is important to list all hazards. Hazards cause accidents, injuries, and occupational illness. Eliminate hazards and you prevent accidents.

e. In order to do part three of a JTA effectively, you must identify potential and existing hazards. That’s why it’s important to distinguish between a hazard, an accident, and an injury. Each of these terms has a different meaning:


A potential danger. Oil on the floor is a hazard. An unintended happening that may result in injury, loss, or damage. Slipping is an accident. The result of an accident. A sprained wrist from the fall would be an injury.

f. Some people find it easier to identify possible accidents and illnesses and work back from them to the hazards. If you do that, you can list the accident and illness types following the identified hazard. Be sure you focus on the hazard when you develop recommended countermeasures and safe work procedures.

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