Hello, everyone. This is the lecture for Week 2. Welcome. And as you'll note from the Week 2 overview that is posted in Canvas, this is the second week of us discussing workplace safety and health. And so last week as you'll recall, we covered workplace safety hazards and you had a homework assignment on hazard identification, where you conducted a virtual workplace inspection. And so this week, we are covering workplace health hazards, and you have a homework assignment on hazard evaluation.
So today's lecture is on job hazard analysis specifically because it's an essential aspect of getting to the point where employers can control and prevent or completely eliminate hazards in their workplaces. So that's why I decided to lecture specifically on job hazard analysis this week. And the hazard evaluation homework assignment that you have this week is actually on job hazard analysis as well. So we'll go ahead and get started.
These are the topics that I'll be lecturing about today. So first is what is a job hazard analysis? Next is why conduct a job hazard analysis? And then moving on to how to conduct a job hazard analysis. And then finally, next steps after conducting a job hazard analysis. And then at the end of the lecture, as I did last week, I have some additional resources for you. OK. So what is a job hazard analysis?
So a job hazard analysis is a method that employers use to identify, evaluate, control, and prevent hazards that cause injuries and illnesses in the workplace. And so just a little more on each of these areas. There is hazard identification where the hazards that are associated with the task or steps in a given job are identified. And then there's hazard evaluation which is the most important part.
And this is where the identified hazards are evaluated for the types of injuries and illnesses that they cause, and it's the most important part because it gives way to the hazard control and hazard prevention. And so with hazard control, this is where determinations are made regarding the types of controls that will effectively address the identified hazards. And then with hazard prevention, this is where effective control measures that were implemented should be preventing the previously identified hazards from occurring again. So it's these four pillars, so to speak, that make up a job hazard analysis.
So then why conduct a job hazard analysis? Well, the what that we just discussed basically describes the why. Right? It's a proactive and highly effective method for evaluating workplace hazards. And by evaluating hazards, employers can gain an understanding of how hazards can cause injuries and illnesses. And then once hazards are understood, employers can take the proper measures to control and prevent those hazards.
And then ultimately, Hazard control and prevention significantly reduces and prevents and eliminates injuries and illnesses in the workplace. So that's the why of the matter. OK. So next is how to conduct a job hazard analysis. And so as I mentioned at the beginning of the lecture, you have an assignment this week. You're going to conduct your own job hazard analysis. And so this is a screenshot of the form that you'll be using.
And so the actual form is linked in Canvas for you. And so these are the steps that you follow. And you'll follow these steps pretty closely when you're doing your assignment. And these are the steps, when you do a job hazard analysis in real life after you graduate or if you're on an internship and you get out and you do these in the real world, these are the steps that you're going to take.
So first, you select a job that an employee is performing to observe and analyze. And you and that employee will sort of be the team that is going to conduct the job hazard analysis. And this is because the employee who is performing the job, they know the job best. And so, but you as the safety professional, you are the objective set of eyes, and you may catch things that the employee might overlook from being comfortable and doing the job and knowing the job well.
So that's why it's good to have this team approach when you're conducting a job hazard analysis with you as the safety professional, and then the employee, the person who performs the job and knows it because they do it on a regular basis. And so you normally want to start with jobs that have high occurrences of injuries or illnesses. And you can also start with jobs that are highly complex in nature and, therefore, they may have a high potential for employees to be injured or become ill while they're performing that job. So the first step is to discuss each task or step that's a part of the job with the employee who's performing the job.
So then you would list all those in the first column on the form. And then next, you will identify all the hazards that are associated with each task or step of the job. And you'll want to obtain the employee's input for that as well. And so as you can see those go in the second column on the form. And so next you will determine how those hazards can be controlled. And so that is the third column on the form.
And here on your job hazard analysis that you're going to be doing for your assignment this week, but also in real life, you'll apply the NIOSH hierarchy of controls to help you make those determinations. And so as you'll recall, you first use the NIOSH hierarchy of controls last week in your virtual workplace inspection assignment that you did on hazard identification. And so it's also important to note here for this section that you don't include personal protective equipment. Personal protective equipment has its own section as you can see, the last column on the form.
And this is because that you want to use higher levels of control first, and PPE is like the -- personal protective equipment is like the lowest level of hazard control. It's a last resort, so to speak. And so we always want to use higher levels of control first, and PPE is then used either as a supplement to the higher levels of control or like a reinforcement. But if it has to be used by itself, then it's like a last resort, because at that point, you've determined that no other level of control can be implemented that will still allow for the job to be conducted in the way that it's intended to be conducted.
So the last step is to turn, is to determine whether PPE is needed after other levels of control have been evaluated and determined. And so that is how you conduct your job hazard analysis. OK. And so then your next steps after you conduct your job hazard analysis. So first thing that you want to do is review the completed job hazard analysis with the employees who perform the job.
And then you would want to train them on any of the aspects of the results of the analysis as needed. And then you're actually going to implement the controls that were determined to be needed during the analysis. And then finally, you will monitor the hazard controls that you implemented for their effectiveness, and then make adjustments and improvements as needed. And so this last step is necessary because things change.
Right? Employees change who perform the job. The way the job is performed can change. Tools can change. Equipment can change. And so, anytime there's a change, the job hazard analysis really should be conducted again to make sure that those controls that were implemented initially, that they're still serving their purpose, and they're still doing what they were implemented to do.
And so, always make sure that you have that monitor, continuous monitoring of your controls after you've completed a job hazard analysis and be ready and willing to conduct another one if any changes occur. And so in closing, as I mentioned at the beginning of the lecture, I have a few resource links here for you. And each of these resources is pretty interesting, so please do take a few minutes to review each of them. And that does complete the lecture for this week.
As always, if you have any questions or comments about the material that was covered today, please submit them via the Canvas inbox messaging feature. And thank you for tuning in.