JSHA vs FLHA – Part 1

Sometimes with all the safety talk going on, I forget that not everyone always knows what I’m talking about. I bring JSHA’s and FLHA’s up a lot. They’re one of the most valuable tools in the safety industry. Then it dawned on me… Some people might not know what I’m talking about. This is a terrifying thought but a real one. I worked on one site where there was a quick pre-work talk… mostly instructions for the day but no FLHA. When I asked about doing one, everyone looked at me like I had two heads. This wasn’t THAT long ago. So, sadly there may be some of you new to industry working on a site like this as well. For those workers and well… everyone, let’s take a few days to focus on one of the most important tools in your belt. 

JSHA and FLHA are not different names for the same thing. They each have their own purpose. JSHA stands for Job Site Hazard Analysis (keep in mind there are many names for both of these such as JSA, JHA and so on) This is completed by an employer for the entire site. If we want to get super technical here, the legislation in Alberta OH&S Code, Part 2, Section 7.1 states, “An employer must assess a work site and identify existing and potential hazards before work begins at the work site or prior to the construction of a new work site.” Section 7.2  further states, “An employer must prepare a report of the results of a hazard assessment and the methods used to control or eliminate the hazards identified.” This site wide hazard assessment can be viewed as the Job Site Hazard Assessment, or JSHA. They will use the hierarchy of controls to determine what is safe and practicable for each task. Come back tomorrow and we will go over the hierarchy of controls and all things JSHA and FLHA.

To learn even more about this topic head to our site and take our ABCS Hazard Assessment training course. It will provide you with some great tools for your safety belt and best of all… it’s free for limited time!