Free HSE template · JSA / JHA Forms
JSA / JHA Template
The JSA template is the job-level risk assessment: the job broken into its steps, each steps hazards named, the existing controls recorded, the gaps closed, and the risk scored per step. It is the document the crew carries on the job, and the one that matches the hazard to the moment in the job when it appears.
JSA Template — the job, step by step
Break the job into steps, name the hazards, the existing and the new controls, score each step, sign it. The worked example is at the bottom.
| # | Step | Hazard(s) | Existing controls | L | C | Score | Control to add | Priority |
|---|
Fill it in for the job: the job and the location in the header, the steps in the table, the hazards and the controls per step, the score, and the sign-off. The blank version is for the field, and the worked example at the bottom is a filled-in JSA for a line-clearing job, so a new user can see the finished document before the first one of their own.
How to use the template
- Set the header — the job, the location, the date, the preparer, the classification
- Break the job into 5–10 steps, each one a clear action
- For each step, list the hazards that step creates
- Record the existing controls for that step
- Score likelihood and consequence per step; add the control that closes the gap
- Sign it, brief the crew before the work starts, carry it on the job, and file it
Worked example
The worked example is a line-clearing job on a 12-m platform: step 1 approach and stage tools (dropped object, 3×3=9, the lanyards and the exclusion, residual 2×3=6), step 2 isolate and lock out (stored energy, 2×5=10, the verification by try-out), step 3 clear the line (falling debris, 3×2=6, the below-crew hold point, residual 2×2=4). Three steps, the three moments that matter, on one page the crew carries.
Standard & legal context
The JSA is the standard hazard-control document in US industry and the applied form of the five-step method in the UK and the Gulf. OSHA 1910.120(h) (HAZWOPER) and 1910.119 (process safety) require the hazard assessment the JSA meets, and the OSHA general duty clause covers the rest. In the UK it is the task-level risk assessment under the MHSWR 1999, and ISO 45001:2018 clause 6.1.2 for the work activity. The 5×5 scoring per step is the ACoP L80 convention.
Common mistakes
- Writing the steps from memory instead of watching the job — the JSA of a job you have not watched misses the shortcut that causes the accident
- Listing every hazard on every step — the JSA names the step-specific hazards; the general ones live in the area assessment
- Stopping at PPE — if the only new control is PPE, the hierarchy says look again
- Not briefing the crew — an unread JSA is a souvenir, not a control
Need the sign-off, not just the template?
The template is the preparation; the sign-off is the professional. For the statutory assessments, the audits, the ISO 45001 implementation and the training that comes with them, ask Muhammad Umer — 8+ years across Iraq, KSA and Pakistan, and the programme runs through umer-hse.pro. One message gets the written scope.
Common questions
JSA / JHA Template — answered
What is a JSA template?
A JSA (job safety analysis, or job hazard analysis JHA) template is the step-by-step hazard assessment of one job: each step, the hazards in that step, the existing controls, the controls needed, the score per step, and the sign-off — documented before the work and briefed to the crew.
What is the difference between a JSA and a JHA?
Practically none — JSA is the more common term in the UK and the Gulf, JHA in the US. The method, the format and the purpose are identical; the industry uses the labels interchangeably. This template works for both.
How many steps should a JSA have?
Five to ten. Fewer and the job is not decomposed; more and you are writing a method statement. The test is whether each step has one clear action a worker could be caught doing.
Is a JSA required by OSHA?
OSHA requires the hazard assessment in specific universes — HAZWOPER 1910.120(h) and process safety 1910.119 — and the general duty clause covers the rest. The JSA is the industry standard way of meeting it, and most US site safety plans require it for the non-routine work.
When should a JSA be done?
Before any non-routine, high-risk or new task, and reviewed after any incident or change to the method. The routine task is done once and reviewed; the non-routine one is done every time.
Can I print or export the JSA?
Yes — Print / Save as PDF gives the one- or two-page document to carry on the job, and Export CSV gives every step for your file. The worked example is at the bottom of the template.
Keep building
Related templates
Blank JSA Form
A blank JSA form you can print and fill in by hand: the job header, the step table, the sign-off lines
JSA / JHA FormsJSA Example (Filled-In)
A filled-in JSA example for a work-at-height job: every step, hazard, control and score worked through, so you
Risk Assessment TemplatesGeneral Risk Assessment Template
Free risk assessment template you can print and fill in: the 5 steps, the 5×5 scoring, the action plan and the
THE HEALTH AND SAFETY is an education and knowledge network. The templates are free and open; the professional assessments and audits run through umer-hse.pro.
Safety disclaimer
These templates are practical documents, built to the UK baseline with the US equivalents named on each page. They do not replace a competent person assessment for high-risk work, a statutory assessment, or the advice of your insurer. Where a document has legal force — the fire risk assessment, the COSHH register, the permit to work — the responsible person owns it. Use the template as the preparation, and the competent person as the sign-off.