Performing the daily and job specific hazard analysis (JHA) with your crew has been a long-standing element of your safety culture. Everyone carries around the booklet, forms, and perhaps a logbook to fill in and keep as a record in some fashion. As a reference, here is the link to the OSHA definition and approach to Job Hazard Analysis.
The trouble is, as always, how do these paper records make their way to an official archive location for future reference? While the policy and procedure to protect these records may be well described and followed, there is always the possibility that the form blows away in the wind and is lost forever.
Image courtesy Kittisak Kaewchalun from Getty Images via Canva
Going Electronic
Let’s look at the Inspection Form feature/function that has been a part of IBM Maximo (and now MAS Manage) for some time. The idea of this feature is to be able to construct forms that users in the field can access and fill in from a browser or application on any mobile device. The forms are pre-built with all the questions and types of responses that are needed. The forms can be associated with Asset and/or Location records, Job Plan tasks, Route stops, or even used for ad-hoc or unscheduled “inspections.”
If you are in a Maximo/Manage instance, the creation of the forms is under the Planning module, and the conduct of the “inspection” is under Work Orders. Creating the actual forms is done via a traditional browser-based application, while the use of the form(s) can be either through a browser or mobile application.
Building the Job Hazard Analysis Form
Using the Manage Inspection Forms application, you can create, activate, and revise the forms as needed. Since we are focused on replicating a JHA, you would create questions to cover the elements you wish for a typical analysis. You can simply ask a question and have an open field for users to type their answers in, and/or you can have them pick responses such as yes/no, or from lists of choices. Text entries such as comments, work order numbers, etc. are all possibilities.
Further, you can have the users upload pictures to the form, and even have them sign the form with an actual wet signature. You can have multiple “types” of JHA forms for specific purposes if needed.
Image courtesy Total Resource Management
Once you are satisfied with the form, you make it Active and now it is available for all to use. Remember, this is a template that can/will be used by many users over time. When they fill in the form, they fill in a replicate of the template that is captured in the database for future reference. More on that in a moment.
As a side note, forms can be constructed with built-in logic to present follow-on questions/responses depending on how the user answers something. Also, when the user gets to the end of the form, they can be presented with more options (perhaps to generate a service request) depending upon how they answered a question as well. This logic/follow-on actions can be rather sophisticated.
Using the “JHA” Form
Since our goal is to have the form/template available to anyone starting work, there are several elements in Maximo/Manage that we can associate with the form for ease of location. Of course, at any time a user can create a “new or ad-hoc” inspection and associate it to an Asset or Location, no matter if they are working on a specific work order or task or not.
In the end, all completed (and pending or in progress) forms are visualized via the Work Details tables on Asset or Location records. Over time, all the JHAs for those records will appear in this section, making a look back into history far easier for supervisors and other reviewers.
The use case looks like this:
The team is gathered around a specific work order (on a tablet) that lists the tasks, skills, materials, etc. that are needed to complete the job. A “blank” JHA form is available either on the work order, the task(s), the Route stops, or is simply associated with the Asset or Location. The form is opened, and the questions/responses are typed in. Team members’ names are entered/selected in the form. Someone optionally signs the form and then the form is marked “complete.” You now have an official electronic record that the JHA for the job was performed.
No matter which direction the form comes from, it will appear on either Asset or Location records under the Work Details section/tables as discussed previously. Anyone with access can view the pending, in progress, and completed JHA forms in one place.
Auditability
Recall in the beginning of this article two points: the first being that inspection forms/templates have revisions; and the second is that the results of a filled-in form are stored in the database. Using revision control built into the function, you can be sure that users will always be presented with the most current revision of the Job Hazard Analysis form. Further, since the forms are stored on the Asset or Location records, no matter the work order being executed, the record is kept in a place that is easy to access.
As the completed inspection forms are kept in the Work Details section, they are right next to the list of work orders and other tactical records for quick cross-reference. The user completing the form, as well as the timestamp of completion, is automatically captured.
Custom BIRT reports (or even application views) can be constructed to show the JHA results more conveniently if needed.
Wrap up – Job Hazard Analysis
This was a very quick coverage of the use of the inherent inspection form feature of Maximo/Manage, but our hope is that you see the utility. If you want to see this in action or need help putting the pieces together, TRM has been working with clients and inspection forms for many years.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers sustained a collective 2.9 million workplace injuries and illnesses in 2015, and nearly 5,000 workers were killed on the job—an average of 13 employees every day. As employers try to curtail those shocking numbers and improve safety throughout their facility, it’s important to examine the relationship between a safer workplace and ensuring uptime, reliability and quality asset performance.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers sustained a collective 2.9 million workplace injuries and illnesses in 2015, and nearly 5,000 workers were killed on the job—an average of 13 employees every day. As employers try to curtail those shocking numbers and improve safety throughout their facility, it’s important to examine the relationship between a safer workplace and ensuring uptime, reliability and quality asset performance.
The challenge of managing the aspects of occupational health and safety (OH&S) in the workplace can often times feel overwhelming. There are many legal, moral and financial reasons for you to pay attention to OH&S obligations. With all of these challenges, it's important not to waste time, money or place efforts on things that simply don't work. In terms of successfully managing OH&S issues, the following Top 10 list includes some of the common errors that organizations make.
The challenge of managing the aspects of occupational health and safety (OH&S) in the workplace can often times feel overwhelming. There are many legal, moral and financial reasons for you to pay attention to OH&S obligations. With all of these challenges, it's important not to waste time, money or place efforts on things that simply don't work. In terms of successfully managing OH&S issues, the following Top 10 list includes some of the common errors that organizations make.
Monday, August 11th is the first day of this year’s OSHA Safe+Sound Week 2025. This is a nationwide, year-round campaign with the goal to encourage workplaces of all kinds to implement a successful safety and health program. It is a time to act, reflect on, and recognize efforts your organization has taken to improve safety through the year.
Monday, August 11th is the first day of this year’s OSHA Safe+Sound Week 2025. This is a nationwide, year-round campaign with the goal to encourage workplaces of all kinds to implement a successful safety and health program. It is a time to act, reflect on, and recognize efforts your organization has taken to improve safety through the year.
Confined space entry safety. A confined space is anywhere not normally meant for human habitation in which access maybe restricted and the conditions in the confinement may be inadequate to support life or could cause engulfment. Obvious places are tanks, vessels, silos and below ground pits. The less obvious ones are cold rooms, areas of plant sandwiched between machinery and equipment, tip truck trays and open pit mines.
Confined space entry safety. A confined space is anywhere not normally meant for human habitation in which access maybe restricted and the conditions in the confinement may be inadequate to support life or could cause engulfment. Obvious places are tanks, vessels, silos and below ground pits. The less obvious ones are cold rooms, areas of plant sandwiched between machinery and equipment, tip truck trays and open pit mines.
High-pressure injection injuries, also known as grease gun injuries, are caused by the accidental injection of a foreign material–such as grease, oil, or solvent under pressure–through the skin and into the underlying tissue. This is analogous to medical techniques used to administer immunization shots without a needle. A grease gun injury can cause serious delayed soft tissue damage and should be treated as a surgical emergency. Any person sustaining an injury of this sort should seek immediate medical attention, regardless of the appearance of the wound or its size. Accidents involving injection injuries can occur when using any type of pressurized equipment.
High-pressure injection injuries, also known as grease gun injuries, are caused by the accidental injection of a foreign material–such as grease, oil, or solvent under pressure–through the skin and into the underlying tissue. This is analogous to medical techniques used to administer immunization shots without a needle. A grease gun injury can cause serious delayed soft tissue damage and should be treated as a surgical emergency. Any person sustaining an injury of this sort should seek immediate medical attention, regardless of the appearance of the wound or its size. Accidents involving injection injuries can occur when using any type of pressurized equipment.
For management, new and untrained employees present a different set of costly challenges. For example, productivity will drop due to lost time, there may be overtime expenses, insurance costs will rise and there can be potential lost customer sales. Worker's compensation claims will also increase and lead to higher premiums. How can these problems be avoided? What are some steps that can be put in place to help alleviate these concerns for new and untrained workers already in the workforce? Ideally, health and safety programs that offer basic training will fit the bill quite nicely. New and untrained workers need to learn about personal protective equipment (PPE), back-injury prevention, health and safety regulations and hazard recognition.
For management, new and untrained employees present a different set of costly challenges. For example, productivity will drop due to lost time, there may be overtime expenses, insurance costs will rise and there can be potential lost customer sales. Worker's compensation claims will also increase and lead to higher premiums. How can these problems be avoided? What are some steps that can be put in place to help alleviate these concerns for new and untrained workers already in the workforce? Ideally, health and safety programs that offer basic training will fit the bill quite nicely. New and untrained workers need to learn about personal protective equipment (PPE), back-injury prevention, health and safety regulations and hazard recognition.
A chaotic or traumatic event can happen to anyone at any time or place. Would you be ready if it happened to you? Anything that threatens your sense of safety and security either physically or mentally can be considered a traumatic event. How well you respond to and recover from such events primarily depends on your overall state of well-being. Let's look at ways to develop the Internal Resources and External Resources you need to put yourself in the best possible position to deal with chaotic events.
A chaotic or traumatic event can happen to anyone at any time or place. Would you be ready if it happened to you? Anything that threatens your sense of safety and security either physically or mentally can be considered a traumatic event. How well you respond to and recover from such events primarily depends on your overall state of well-being. Let's look at ways to develop the Internal Resources and External Resources you need to put yourself in the best possible position to deal with chaotic events.
