To remain competitive, manufacturers are challenged to be nimble with necessary technology changes, including fast integration of new equipment and processes brought into manufacturing sites on a regular basis. As a result, site management must implement efficient and sustainable change management business processes that continually evaluate, update, and periodically reassess to ensure the safe operations and maintenance of the equipment and facilities. A strong job hazard analysis (JHA) process integrates well, and creates environmental, health, and safety (EHS) value, with necessary business change-management processes in modern manufacturing and research and development (R&D) sites.
JHAs are often used towards compliance to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) workplace hazard assessment requirements (Title 29 CFR 1910.132(d)(2). However, as EHS professionals are keenly aware, this can also result in mediocre EHS assessments at best when JHAs are conducted as stand-alone compliance tools, and those which are quickly out of date. JHAs run the risk of being viewed as only a compliance tool, and typically subject to becoming just another passing EHS phase.
This paper is based on a confidential JHA project conducted at a global, process-intensive manufacturing site. This manufacturing site as well as other sites within the company use JHAs as a standard business process to meet regulatory compliance requirements and drive risk reduction. Due to the rapid pace of new process and equipment introductions supporting manufacturing and R&D equipment, the JHAs were quickly becoming obsolete, and a formal process for updating the assessments was not in place. A management decision was made to implement a robust management process to ensure that JHAs not only met regulatory requirements, but also remained current to match the pace of business change.
