Free JHA Template (Word & PDF)
A blank job hazard analysis form in the classic OSHA 3-column format: job steps, the hazards of each step, and the controls for each hazard, plus a header block (task, company, location, date, PPE) and a crew sign-off table. Print the PDF or edit the Word version, no signup needed for the PDF.
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What's in the template
- ✓ Header block: job/task, company, project/location, date, prepared by, reviewed by, required PPE
- ✓ The 3-column analysis table: numbered Job Steps, Hazards, and Controls, with ten rows and room to write
- ✓ Crew review and sign-off table: print name, signature, date, because a JHA is a briefing document, not a filing document
- ✓ US Letter landscape, so the controls column is wide enough for real answers
- ✓ Editable Word (.docx) version with the same layout, add rows as needed
How to fill it in
- Break the task into 6 to 12 action-based steps, in the order the crew performs them.
- For each step, name what can hurt someone, specifically. “Strut falls from overhead rack” beats “falling objects”.
- Assign a control for every hazard, concrete enough that a foreman can verify it, and cite the OSHA standard where one applies.
- List the PPE the controls assume in the header.
- Review it with the crew before work starts and collect signatures.
Full walkthrough with a worked example: how to do a job hazard analysis.
The blank form is the easy part
Identifying the right steps, the real hazards, and the controls with correct 29 CFR citations takes a foreman an hour or two per task, and that is what GC reviewers actually judge.
| This free template | TailgateDocs, $29 | |
|---|---|---|
| Steps, hazards, controls | You write all of it | Written for your exact task |
| 29 CFR citations | You look them up | Verified against a real standards table |
| Time | An hour or two per task | About 4 minutes |
| Format | Blank Word & PDF | Finished PDF, editable Word add-on |
| Revisions | On you | Free within 24 hours if a reviewer asks |
Common questions
▸Is this JHA template really free?
Yes. The PDF is a direct download with no email required, and the editable Word (.docx) version is free too, we just email it to you. Use it on as many jobs as you like.
▸What format is a JHA supposed to be in?
The standard format OSHA illustrates in Publication 3071 is a three-column table: the job broken into sequential steps, the hazards of each step, and the controls for each hazard. A header identifies the task, location, date, and preparer, and a crew sign-off block records that the crew reviewed it.
▸Is a JHA the same as a JSA or AHA?
Yes, they are the same document under different names: job hazard analysis (OSHA usage), job safety analysis (common industry usage), and activity hazard analysis (the term on Army Corps and other federal projects, which use a specific EM 385 format).
▸Does OSHA require a JHA?
OSHA recommends JHAs rather than requiring the JHA document itself, but it does require the underlying hazard assessments (like the PPE hazard assessment in 29 CFR 1910.132). In practice, GCs require a JHA per definable task before work starts, which makes it effectively mandatory on most commercial jobs.
▸How many steps should a JHA have?
Six to twelve action-based steps for most tasks. Fewer and the steps are too broad to expose hazards; more and the task should probably be split into separate JHAs. The template has ten numbered rows and the Word version lets you add more.
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