Job Safety Analysis or Safe Work Method Statement
Master Builders’
safety manager
Mike FitzgeraldIs there a difference between a Job Safety
Analysis (JSA) and a Safe Work Method
Statement (SWMS)? Depending on who you
talk to you will get differing opinions. In basic
terms the concepts, objectives and perceived
outcomes of both a JSA and a SWMS are the
same: how do we do the job/task safely?
A JSA or SWMS is specific to a task. You
would not have a JSA or SWMS for building
a single storey house, but rather a number of
JSA’s or SWMS’s relating to specific tasks in
the construction process, for example, tasks
involving persons working at height such as roof
carpenters or the use of powered mobile plant on
the site. These are just two examples specifically
identified in the WA OSH Regulations.
A JSA/SWMS is a systematic review of a
job/task in order to identify and assess the
hazards associated with that process, and to
recommend, develop and implement hazard
controls to eliminate or minimise and manage
the risks.
A JSA/SWMS might be carried out as required
by OHS/WHS legislation or for different
reasons such as medium and high risk tasks,
new or modified tasks (deviation from standard
work procedures), infrequent tasks and tasks
that previously resulted in injury or damage.
The WA Occupational Safety and Health
Regulations require a JSA or SWMS to be
conducted for the following construction work:
- Involving a risk of a person falling two metres
or more. - On telecommunications towers.
- Involving demolition.
- Involving removing or disturbing asbestos.
- Involving alteration to a structure that
requires the structure to be temporarily
supported to prevent its collapse. - Involving a confined space.
- Involving excavation to a depth of more than
1.5 metres. - The construction of tunnels.
- Involving the use of explosives.
- On or near pressurised gas pipes (including
distribution mains). - On or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines.
- On or near energised electrical installations
and lines (whether overhead or underground). - In an area that might have a contaminated
or flammable atmosphere. - Involving tilt-up or precast concrete.
- On or adjacent to roads or railways that are
in use. - On a construction site where there is
movement of powered mobile plant. - In an area where there are artificial extremes
of temperature. - In, over or adjacent to water or other liquids
if there is a risk of drowning. - Involving diving.
It is best practice for a number of people to
be involved in development of a JSA. This
generally includes site supervisors, persons
with expertise or knowledge about the specific
task, those who will undertake the task and
others who might be affected by the specific
task. To help encourage the safety culture and
to provide informal training, it is good practice
to include other site personnel who might have
little or no experience in relation to the JSA/
SWMS process in the development team.Objectives- Improve workplace communications by
involving employees in job planning and
safety management. - Improve efficiency so employees know what
is expected of them and what others in the
crew will be doing.- Create a sense of employee ownership over
workplace safety. - Develop easy to read and understand safe
work procedures written using employees’
workplace terminology. - Enter identified hazards into the hazard
register for future reference and review.
- Create a sense of employee ownership over
Procedure- Select the job/task to be analysed
Clearly describe the task and identify and obtain
any relevant documented information relating
to it such as previous JSAs/SWMSs conducted
for similar tasks, relevant State regulatory
requirements, Australian Standards and Codes
of Practice and/or guidance materials. - Break the job/task down into logical steps
Ideally, try to limit the breakdown to 6-10 steps;
however, more complex tasks will require more
than 10 steps. Use simple language. - Identify the hazards associated with
each step
Ask yourself what could happen at each step.
For example, could you or others be exposed
to, caught on, struck by, come in contact with,
fall from, trip over, be trapped by or in between
something hazardous while performing the task?
Some examples of workplace hazards include:
- Physical: Noise, Heat, Electricity,
Vibration, Radiation - Chemical: Liquids, Vapours, Gases,
Dusts, Metals - Biological: Bacterial, Viral, Animal
- Psychological: Stress, Fatigue,
Harassment, Anxiety - Ergonomic: Poor design of work stations,
Height of work benches - Mechanical: Unguarded machines, Sharp
cutting equipment
- Assess the risk associated with
each step
There are two issues to consider when
determining the level of risk, likelihood and
consequence. (See the following tables.)
Level of risk Possible consequencesCatastrophic • Death/disable employee/s or public• Cause major damage to the structure- Significant impact on surrounding population
and environment - Huge financial loss
Major- Permanently disable or seriously injure
employees or public - Cause minor damage to the structure
- Breach the site boundary and pollute local environment
- Major financial loss
Moderate • Medical treatment injury• Contained release with assistance • High damage• High financial lossMinor • First aid treatment onsite• Low financial loss • Minor damageInsignificant- No injury
- Localised to the site not effecting others or the
environment- No financial loss
Likelihood: Consequence:Almost
certainThe event is expected to occur in most
circumstances (eg daily).Likely The event will probably occur in most circumstances (eg weekly).Possible The event could occur at some time and should be expected to (eg monthly).UnlikelyThe event could occur at some time but
is not expected to (eg during the course
of the project).Rare The event may occur only in exceptional circumstances.42 UPDATES safety
MAY–JUNE 2017