A JSA (job safety analysis) is a written breakdown of a job into steps, listing the hazards in each step and the controls that will keep people safe. Crews use it to plan a task before they start. The term JSA is not used in the Queensland Act or Regulation, and no regulation says you must use a document called a JSA, but it is a practical way to meet your duty to manage risks. A safe work method statement (SWMS) is different, because it is a legal requirement for high risk construction work.
Is a JSA required by law in Queensland?
No. The terms “job safety analysis” and “JSA” do not appear in the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) or the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld). Nor do the related labels JSEA (job safety and environmental analysis) or JHA (job hazard analysis). They are industry names for a document, not legal terms.
What the law does require is that a person conducting a business or undertaking (a PCBU) manages risks. Section 19(3)(c) of the Act requires the provision and maintenance of safe systems of work, so far as is reasonably practicable, and section 17 requires you to eliminate risks, or if that is not reasonably practicable, minimise them. A JSA is one common way to plan and record a safe system of work for a task.
Some tasks do need a specific written assessment or statement:
- High risk construction work needs a SWMS before work starts (regulation 299).
- Managing the risks of a confined space, including entering it, needs a risk assessment conducted by a competent person and recorded in writing (regulation 66(2) and (3)).
- General diving work needs a recorded risk assessment by a competent person (regulation 176).
Where a JSA fits: the risk management regulations
Part 3.1 of the Regulation (regulations 32 to 38) sets out how a PCBU manages risks. A good JSA walks through the same logic for one task:
- Regulation 34: identify reasonably foreseeable hazards that could give rise to risks to health and safety.
- Regulation 35: eliminate risks so far as is reasonably practicable, and if you cannot, minimise them so far as is reasonably practicable.
- Regulation 36: use the hierarchy of control measures. Substitute, isolate or use engineering controls first, then administrative controls, then personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Regulation 37: keep control measures effective: fit for purpose, suitable for the nature and duration of the work, and installed, set up and used correctly.
- Regulation 38: review and, as necessary, revise control measures, for example when a control is not working, before a change at the workplace, or when a new hazard is identified.
Sections 47 to 49 of the Act also require you to consult workers who are likely to be directly affected, including when identifying hazards, assessing risks and deciding on controls. A JSA done with the crew, not for the crew, is a visible way of consulting them. Our guide to the hierarchy of controls explains regulation 36 in more detail.
The How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021 is an approved code. It is not law itself, but a PCBU must comply with it or achieve an equivalent or higher standard (section 26A of the Act). It describes four steps: identify hazards, assess risks, control risks and review controls. It says a risk assessment can be as simple as a discussion with your workers, and that you can skip a formal assessment when you already know the hazard and the proven way to control it. So size your JSA to the task: short for routine work, fuller for something new or complex.
JSA or SWMS?
A SWMS is a legal document with set content. A PCBU that carries out high risk construction work must make sure a SWMS is prepared, or has already been prepared by another person, before the work starts (regulation 299(1)). It must identify the high risk work, state the hazards and risks, describe the control measures, and describe how they will be implemented, monitored and reviewed (regulation 299(2)). The PCBU must also put arrangements in place so the work is done in accordance with the SWMS (regulation 300).
Regulation 291 lists what counts as high risk construction work. It includes work that involves a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres, work in or near a confined space, work in or near a trench deeper than 1.5 metres, and work near energised electrical installations or services.
A JSA has no required format or content, and it does not replace a SWMS unless it contains everything regulation 299 requires. If the task is high risk construction work, you need a SWMS. For other tasks, a JSA is a sensible way to show you identified the hazards and chose controls. For a side-by-side look, read our comparison of a SWMS and a JSA, or our guide to what a SWMS is.
When should you do a JSA?
The Code of Practice says a risk assessment should be done when there is uncertainty about how a hazard may cause injury or illness, when the work involves several different hazards and it is not well understood how they may interact, and when changes at the workplace could affect your controls. In practice, do a JSA when:
- the task is new, or done rarely;
- you are working on a new site, with new plant, or with a new crew;
- conditions change, such as weather, access or other trades working nearby; or
- the task is not already covered by a SWMS or a written safe work procedure.
The Code of Practice says an earlier assessment may be appropriate to reuse where the hazards, tasks, equipment, workers and circumstances are all the same and nobody will be exposed to greater, additional or different risks. If anything changes, check it again. Our guide on when a risk assessment should be carried out covers this in more detail.
How to do a JSA: 8 steps
- Pick one specific task. “Cutting pavers with a petrol saw” works. “Landscaping” is too broad.
- Break it into steps in the order they happen. Five to ten steps is usual. Walk through the job with the people who do it.
- Identify the hazards in each step. Think about plant, materials, energy sources, manual handling, heat, wet weather, uneven ground, other people and traffic, and what could go wrong (regulation 34).
- Rate the risk. Ask how likely harm is and how bad it could be. A simple low, medium or high rating is enough for most tasks.
- Choose controls from the top of the hierarchy down. Can the hazard be eliminated? If not, substitute, isolate or add an engineering control, then use administrative controls, and use PPE last (regulation 36).
- Talk it through with the crew. Workers who do the job often spot problems a supervisor misses, and the Act requires their views to be taken into account (section 48).
- Brief everyone and check the controls on site. The Code of Practice warns that handing someone a procedure and asking them to acknowledge it is not enough: workers need training that shows they can do the task as described.
- Review it. Stop and revisit the JSA if the job changes, a control is not working or a new hazard turns up (regulation 38). An incident or near miss is also a good reason to look again.
Worked example: cutting concrete pavers with a petrol saw
Here is a short JSA for a landscaper laying a driveway on a Queensland job.
| Step | Hazards | Risk before controls | Controls (most effective first) | Risk after controls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Set up and check the saw | Fuel spill and fire; damaged blade; missing guard | Medium | Check blade, guard and trigger before each use and tag out a damaged saw. Keep fuel in an approved container, away from ignition sources. Extinguisher within reach. | Low |
| 2. Set out the pavers and the cutting area | Manual handling strain; trips; heat | Medium | Use a trolley or a two-person lift for heavy pavers. Keep the cutting area clear. Provide shade, water and rest breaks in hot weather. | Low |
| 3. Cut the pavers | Silica dust; noise; kickback and blade contact; flying fragments | High | Eliminate cuts where possible by ordering pre-cut pavers. Use wet cutting or on-tool dust extraction. Keep other people out of the area. Trained operator with a firm stance. Hearing protection, eye or face protection, gloves, and a suitable respirator as the last layer. | Medium |
| 4. Refuel and clean up | Fuel spill; dust blown back into the air | Medium | Let the saw cool before refuelling. Use a funnel. Wet down or vacuum dust and slurry rather than sweeping dry. | Low |
| 5. Pack up and store | Hot exhaust burns; damaged or unsecured equipment | Low | Let the saw cool before loading. Remove and store the blade properly. Secure the saw in the vehicle or store. | Low |
This is an example only: your JSA must reflect your own site, plant and people. Step 3 is still rated medium after controls, so the supervisor should ask whether more can be done, such as a different cutting method. If this job were construction work carried out where powered mobile plant is moving about, or beside a trench deeper than 1.5 metres, it would be high risk construction work under regulation 291 and need a SWMS. Our guide to the dangers of silica dust explains why step 3 needs particular care.
Common JSA mistakes
- Copying a generic form without checking it against the actual job and site.
- Filling it out in the office without walking the job.
- Listing “wear PPE” as the only control, when regulation 36 expects you to work down from elimination.
- Collecting signatures without a briefing.
- Never reviewing it when the job changes (regulation 38).
Do you have to keep JSAs?
The Act and the Regulation do not set a retention period for a JSA. The Code of Practice suggests keeping records of the hazards, controls, consultation and training. If a notifiable incident occurs, the PCBU must keep a record of it for at least 5 years (section 38(7) of the Act), and the JSA for that job is a document you will want to be able to produce.
JSA and JSEA templates
A JSEA adds the environment to a JSA, so each step also considers environmental impacts such as spills, dust and waste. If you want a ready-made layout, our JSEA form template is a Word document you can fill in for each task, the JSEA documents bundle adds supporting documents, and the free risk assessment template is a good starting point for smaller tasks. If your work is high risk construction work, start with our free SWMS template for Queensland. For help pulling your job-level paperwork into a business-wide system, see our guide to a WHS management system for small business.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the current law or talk to WorkSafe Queensland for your situation.
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