Job hazard analysis software › JSA template

JSA template: the blank form, and how to fill it in

A JSA template is one table: a row for each step of the job, with that step's hazards, the control for each hazard and who is responsible, under a header naming the job, site, date, analyst and competent person, and above a sign-off block for the crew. Below is the blank form, then every column filled in for a real task.

The columns follow the sample form in OSHA's guide, Job Hazard Analysis (OSHA 3071), Appendix 3, plus what construction forms add. Rules quoted from 29 CFR as published on eCFR, read November 13, 2026.

The blank template

Copy these three blocks into Word, Excel or Google Sheets, or print them landscape. OSHA also publishes its own blank form as a Word file: OSHA's JHA template (.docx). One JSA per kind of work, not per day: a trenching JSA covers every trench of that kind, and the daily review catches what's different (see pre-task plans).

Header block. Fill in once per JSA.
Field	What goes in it
Job or task	The kind of work, in plain words: "Saw cutting control joints in a slab on grade"
Location	Site, area, address
Date, and date to review	When written; when it gets looked at again (yearly, or sooner after an incident or a change)
Prepared by / reviewed by	Who wrote it with the crew; who checked it
Competent person	The person able to spot the hazards and with authority to fix them (29 CFR 1926.32(f))
Equipment and tools	Everything the steps use
Required PPE	The PPE the controls below call for, not a generic list
Permits and training	Hot work, confined space, excavation, operator cards

Steps table. One row per step, five to eight steps for most jobs.
#	Job step	Hazards	Controls	Responsible	Rule or reference
1
2
3
4
5

Sign-off block. Everyone doing the work signs after the review, not before.
Name	Trade or role	Signature	Date

Where the columns come from

OSHA's sample form has eleven fields: job title, job location, analyst, date, task number, task description, hazard type, hazard description, consequence, hazard controls, and rationale or comment. It's written for a factory job; its worked example is a worker grinding 15-pound iron castings, 20 to 30 an hour. Construction forms keep the core (step, hazard, control) and add four things the jobsite needs: the PPE, the competent person, the OSHA rule each control answers, and the crew's signatures.

How to fill it out, column by column

Job step. Watch the job, or walk it with the people who do it, and write each step as an action: "Mark the cut lines", not "Marking". OSHA 3071 warns against both extremes: so detailed it's long, or so broad it skips basic steps.
Hazards. For each step, ask OSHA's five questions: what can go wrong, what are the consequences, how could it arise, what else contributes, and how likely is it. Write the hazard as a short scenario ("blade binds and kicks back toward the operator"), not one word ("saw").
Controls. One or more per hazard, in OSHA's order: engineering controls first (remove, substitute, enclose, isolate, ventilate), then administrative (procedures, permits, time limits, training), and PPE last. A controls column full of "wear gloves" is the sign of a JSA that was copied, not written.
Responsible. A name or a role for each control: who calls 811, who checks the box, who holds the stop-work authority.
Rule or reference. The OSHA section, the manufacturer's manual or the company procedure the control comes from. This is what a GC or inspector checks first.
Sign-off. Review it with the crew at the start of the work, change it if they spot something, then have everyone sign. OSHA 3071 says to review it periodically and after an injury or illness, and to go over the procedure with the crew after a close call.

One row, filled in

Here is step 3 of a JSA for cutting control joints in a new slab outdoors with a handheld cut-off saw, about three hours of cutting in the shift. The silica rule's Table 1 decides most of the controls column.

Worked example. Table 1 of 29 CFR 1926.1153 lists handheld power saws: with the water feed running outdoors, no respirator up to 4 hours a shift, an APF 10 respirator above 4 hours.
#	Job step	Hazards	Controls	Responsible	Rule
3	Cut control joints with a handheld cut-off saw	Respirable crystalline silica dust from the cut Blade binds and kicks back Noise from the saw Tripping on the water hose and slurry	Saw with an integrated water feed running to the blade the whole cut; operate it per the maker's instructions Keep cutting under 4 hours this shift, or the operator wears an APF 10 respirator Blade guard on, two hands, stand out of the blade's line; no cutting above shoulder height Hearing protection and safety glasses Route the hose behind the operator; squeegee the slurry before it dries	Operator; foreman checks the water feed before the first cut	1926.1153(c)(1), Table 1

Three filled-in JHAs for whole jobs, trenching, a slab pour and a roof tear-off, are in JHA examples.

Excel, Word or Google Sheets

Any of them works, because a JSA is a table. In a spreadsheet, put the header on its own rows, wrap text in the hazards and controls columns, set the page to landscape and print titles to repeat the column headings, and keep one tab per task. Save a PDF when the GC asks for a copy. The top Google result for "job hazard analysis software" right now is Sourcetable's AI generator for Excel JHA templates, which tells you how many people start here.

If you'd rather start from filled-in content: Dozer's 59 construction JHA templates are free to read on its site (its AI draft and the signed PDF are in its app, with a free account). JSABuilder exports PDF, Word or HTML with your logo, and Gadzoom offers six layouts with signature sheets. Mitti goes the other way: it imports the form you already have from PDF, Word or Excel and turns it into a phone checklist.

When a template is enough, and when software pays off

A spreadsheet is enough when one crew repeats a handful of tasks, the JSAs change once a year, and a signed paper copy in the truck satisfies everyone who asks. It stops being enough when:

the foreman writes a new JHA every morning and is retyping last week's;
signatures from many crews have to be collected, kept and found again after an incident;
the GC or owner wants a signed PDF the same day;
your program needs risk scores, reviewers or a yearly review reminder;
subcontractors have to sign the same JSA as your crew.

Which tool fits which of those is the subject of the job hazard analysis software comparison; for phone apps that take signatures in the field, see JSA apps.

Questions

What is a job hazard analysis form?

It is the page a JHA is written on: a header naming the job, site, date, analyst and competent person, a table with one row per job step listing its hazards and the controls for each, and a sign-off block for the crew. OSHA's sample form is in Appendix 3 of publication 3071.

How do you fill out a JHA form?

Break the job into five to eight steps by watching it or walking it with the crew. For each step, list what can go wrong, then a control for each hazard, engineering controls before procedures and PPE. Name who is responsible and the rule behind each control, review it with the crew, and have them sign.

Is there an Excel template for job hazard analysis?

You can build one in a few minutes from the layout on this page: header rows, a steps table with hazards, controls, responsible and rule columns, and a sign-off block. Set it to landscape and repeat the column titles when printing. OSHA also publishes a blank JHA form as a Word file.

About this page

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