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Activity Hazard Analysis

Last updated: September 27, 2018

What Does Activity Hazard Analysis Mean?

Activity hazard analysis (AHA) is a term that typically refers to a formal assessment of the potential hazards that may occur on a work project—usually construction—within a U.S. military setting.

These assessments are roughly equivalent in purpose to the OSHA-defined job hazard analysis that is used by private firms and that may be referred to as a job safety analysis in non-U.S. jurisdictions. Less commonly, an AHA may refer to a hazard assessment undertaken in a different U.S. government setting.

Safeopedia Explains Activity Hazard Analysis

Regulatory requirements for AHAs conducted in their common military context are determined and governed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers standard EM 385 1-1. These regulations are heavily influenced by OSHA’s health and safety regulations for general industry (29 CFR 1910) and construction (29 CFR 1926), and they also reflect case-specific directives from the Department of Defense. The regulations apply to both construction activity undertaken by the military itself (paragraph 01.A.15) and to external contractors (paragraph 01.A.14).

The AHA is a “living document” that must reflect the potential hazards involved in the workplace as they currently exist. This means that AHAs must be conducted both before work begins on a project and then altered as worksite safety conditions change during the course of the project.

AHAs are performed according to a set structure that breaks down a project by the individual tasks to be performed within a given environment, the hazards that are associated with those tasks, and the safety controls that can be implemented to mitigate those hazards. Hazards must be individually graded according to a set rubric that classifies them according to the potential severity of a safety incident and the probability that such an incident will occur.

Finally, AHAs must also provide a list of the qualified or competent individuals who will be present at the work site, as well as inspection and training requirements for the work being undertaken. Work on a military construction site or other project involving 385-1-1 regulations cannot proceed until the AHA has been reviewed and accepted by a government-designated authority.

AHAs conducted for a non-military U.S. government body, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, may be less extensive and rigorous than the military version; however, all AHAs are a formal requirement in order to begin work on a job site.

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