Health and Safety:

What is a Job Safety Assessment and a Safe Operating Procedure?

inflating a tyre on a split rim. Leave the cage out of the equation at mortal peril. The SOP should be an integral part of regular toolbox safety chats. And note, it isn’t only about the procedure itself: record, record, record. Documenting your SOP discussions and practices makes them real in the eyes of WorkSafe. It also helps make it real and a habit on the shop floor. There’s always something to learn for everyone, given the wide variety of tools and methods used in the average workshop, so make continuous updates and Safe Operating Procedures part and parcel of your Standard Operating Procedures.

A word on different approaches

Put 10 people to work on one common task and chances are you’ll find 10 ways of getting the job done. One of those ways will be safer than all the rest. Keep lines of communication open, encourage knowledge sharing, and always stress your JSA and SOP. When your people look at their tasks from that perspective, they are analysing and appreciating where the risks are and how to get the most from tools and techniques safely.

Health and Safety is a team sport. Winning means going home intact every day, for everyone. Finally, your JSAs and SOPs don’t have to be a PITA. HSE Connect guides you through every step, while making record keeping fast and easy, direct from the smartphone. This means more time working safely, and less time on Health and Safety admin. Not a clipboard in sight!

Peace of mind, thanks to HSE Connect

Built specifically with WorkSafe in mind, HSE Connect’s easy-to-use software already provides peace of mind to hundreds of MTA members. Members get discounted pricing and free set-up. Find out more here: www.hseconnect.co/mta or call HSE Connect on 022 643 1832.

In the previous edition of Radiator, MTA’s preferred Health and Safety partner HSE Connect noted that the value of H&S is effectively in your hands. They also introduced the concepts of a Job Safety Assessment (JSA) and a Safe Operating Procedure (SOP). In this column, we’ll take a closer look at both. Be assured, JSAs and SOPs are important: in fact, do them right, and they will look after you and your staff.

JSA: Where the rubber meets the road

On the one hand we have Health and Safety rules and regulations. On the other, we have the real world where work gets done. A Job Safety Analysis is effectively your plan for turning the stuff in the manual into reality on the shop floor. JSA looks at every job from a risk assessment point of view, identifying where the bitey bits are, and then figuring out how to render them safer with a stepby-step walkthrough.

JSAs should be performed regularly, even on tasks you and your people have done hundreds or thousands of times. And most definitely when new approaches, new tools, or new techniques are being used. Don’t be like the guys who jimmied up a hoist, then went underneath a lifted vehicle without assessing the risks. Hint: in this case, it was deeply unsafe, and everyone was lucky to get out from under it unharmed. Remember we said record, record and record? Document your JSAs every time they are done. If something goes wrong (and let’s face it, things can and do, in this crazy world), WorkSafe will be happier when you show you’re on top of the JSA for every task.

SOP: Doing it right

The Safe Operating Procedure is just what it sounds like: A detailed approach to using a tool, conducting an activity, or performing a procedure, outlining hazards and proper operation. Many of the tools in the workshop are super handy, but quickly become super dangerous in the wrong hands. Same goes for procedures: everyone has an idea what can happen with something as simple as

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Lockheed Martin has the important job of helping to keep the New Zealand Army moving. Our automotive workshops are looking for diesel mechanics to join the Lockheed Martin team. If you are a fully qualified mechanic, or close to completing your apprenticeship and have a passion for the trade give us a call to learn more about our team and what we do. We are open to full-time or part-time positions to fit with you.

OUR TEAM ENJOY SOME OF THESE BENEFITS:

• Competitive hourly rate aligned to your experience.

• Free access to onsite gym and health and wellness programme.

• Regular hours Monday to Friday with flexible work options available.

If you are looking at changing jobs in 2023 give us a call.

Kirsten.humphrey@lmco.com 021 534 516 or Elvis.madar@lmco.com 021 271 7562