Risk Assessment vs JSA vs SWMS: What’s the Difference?
One of the most common questions I am asked is whether a client needs a Risk Assessment, a Job Safety Analysis (JSA) or a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS). Quite often the answer is that they don’t need all three. Just as often, they need more than one because each document serves a different purpose.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way the three documents have become blurred together. I regularly receive requests asking me to prepare a SWMS when the client actually needs an event risk assessment. Equally, I have seen organisations ask every contractor to provide a SWMS regardless of the work they are undertaking, simply because it has become part of the paperwork they request. Neither approach is particularly helpful.
Understanding the purpose of each document makes planning much simpler and usually results in less paperwork, not more.
A risk assessment is the broadest of the three documents. It looks at an activity, workplace or event as a whole and considers what hazards may be present, who could be harmed, how likely those hazards are to cause harm and what controls should be put in place to reduce the risk, and who is responsible for said control.
For an event, the risk assessment might consider vehicle movements, crowd management, severe weather, temporary structures, electrical installations, emergency procedures, accessibility, manual handling, food safety and security. It provides the overall picture of the event and helps organisers make informed decisions throughout the planning process. If something changes, such as a change in site layout, increased attendance numbers or deteriorating weather conditions, the risk assessment should also be reviewed.
This is the type of document that Beaspoke Safety prepares most often because it becomes the foundation for managing risk across an entire project rather than focusing on one individual task.
A Job Safety Analysis, or JSA, is much more specific. Instead of looking at the overall event, it looks at how one particular job will be completed safely.
The task is broken down into individual steps, the hazards associated with each step are identified and suitable controls are agreed before the work begins. A JSA could be prepared for unloading trucks, erecting fencing, installing lighting, operating plant or assembling exhibition stands. The document is often discussed with the work crew immediately before the task starts, making it a useful tool for communication as well as planning.
Unlike a SWMS, there is generally no legislative requirement to prepare a JSA. That does not mean there is no legal obligation to manage risk. Employers and persons conducting a business or undertaking still have duties under Work Health and Safety or Occupational Health and Safety legislation to identify hazards, assess and control risks, and provide safe systems of work. A JSA is simply one of the tools organisations use to demonstrate that those duties have been applied to a particular task. By breaking the work down into individual steps, it encourages the work crew to identify hazards, discuss the controls and make sure everyone understands how the job will be completed safely.
A Safe Work Method Statement is different again. A SWMS is not simply another name for a task risk assessment. It is a legal requirement when High Risk Construction Work is being undertaken under Australia’s Work Health and Safety legislation.
That distinction is important because not every task on an event site is considered High Risk Construction Work. Just because someone is carrying equipment, working on an event or using a ladder does not automatically mean a SWMS is required.
A SWMS becomes necessary where the work falls within the legislative definition of High Risk Construction Work. This may include activities such as work where there is a risk of falling more than two metres, work near live electrical installations, excavation work, demolition, confined spaces, structural alterations, certain lifting operations or work adjacent to traffic.
The SWMS explains how that high risk work will be carried out safely, identifies the hazards associated with the work and details the control measures that will be implemented. It should also explain how those controls will be monitored and reviewed throughout the work.
At this point, many people ask whether a JSA and a SWMS are really the same document. It is a fair question because they often look very similar. Both identify hazards, assess risks and describe the control measures for carrying out a particular task safely.
The difference is not so much what they contain, but why they are prepared. A JSA is a risk management tool that organisations choose to use to plan work, communicate hazards and confirm how a task will be undertaken safely. A SWMS is prepared because the law requires one where the work is classified as High Risk Construction Work under the relevant Work Health and Safety legislation. It must also meet the legislative requirements for the content of a SWMS.
In practice, a SWMS may include much of the same information that would appear in a JSA. However, a JSA does not automatically satisfy the legal requirements of a SWMS, and a SWMS should not be prepared simply because it has become part of a contractor prequalification process. Like any safety document, it should only be used where it is appropriate and where the legislation requires it.
The events industry often creates confusion because many activities undertaken during bump in and bump out may meet the definition of construction work. Building stages, erecting grandstands, installing truss systems or constructing temporary structures may all require contractors to prepare SWMS if the work falls within the legislative requirements.
That does not mean the event organiser should be writing those SWMS.
The event organiser should be preparing the event risk assessment that considers the safe delivery of the event as a whole. Individual contractors undertaking High Risk Construction Work should prepare their own SWMS relevant to the work they have been engaged to undertake. Those documents should support each other rather than duplicate each other.
One of the concerns I have seen develop over recent years is the growing tendency to request SWMS from absolutely everyone working on a site. If a florist is delivering flowers, a caterer is dropping off food or a cleaner is emptying bins, asking them for a SWMS simply because every contractor must provide one demonstrates a misunderstanding of what the document is actually intended to achieve. In many cases, a risk assessment or JSA is far more appropriate.
The opposite also occurs. Contractors sometimes provide generic SWMS that have clearly been downloaded from the internet and contain little or no reference to the actual work being undertaken. If the document could be used on any site, for any job, by any contractor, it is unlikely to be helping anyone manage risk.
Paperwork should never become the objective. The objective is to understand the work being undertaken, identify the hazards that are reasonably foreseeable and ensure suitable controls are in place before work begins.
There is no competition between a risk assessment, a JSA and a SWMS because they were never designed to replace one another. They each serve a different purpose.
If you are managing an event, you will almost certainly need a risk assessment. If your team is carrying out a specific task, a JSA may be an effective way of discussing how that work will be completed safely. If the work you are undertaking is classified as High Risk Construction Work under the relevant Work Health and Safety legislation, you must prepare a SWMS before that work commences.
Producing the right document for the right purpose is far more valuable than producing paperwork simply because someone has asked for it.
This article has been prepared for general information purposes only and is intended to encourage discussion and understanding of risk and safety concepts. It should not be relied upon as legal advice or as a substitute for obtaining advice relevant to your specific circumstances, activities or jurisdiction. Legislative requirements, including those relating to Risk Assessments, Job Safety Analyses (JSAs) and Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS), vary depending on the nature of the work being undertaken and the applicable Work Health and Safety or Occupational Health and Safety legislation. Organisations should seek advice from suitably qualified professionals where required to ensure they are meeting their legal obligations.
This article was originally published on Bespoke.
Photo courtesy of the author.
Originally from Manchester in the United Kingdom, Bea has spent more than 25 years working across the events industry in both the UK and Australia. Her career started in event operations and production, working on conferences, exhibitions, festivals, fashion events and major public gatherings before moving into safety and risk management. Along the way she worked with venues including Earls Court and Olympia in London, NEC in Birmingham and supported events ranging from art fairs and exhibitions through to large public festivals and community events.
After moving to Australia in 2004, Bea established herself as one of the country's most recognised event safety professionals, working with event organisers, councils, venues, suppliers and government agencies to help deliver safer and more resilient events.
Known for describing herself as the industry's professional Devil's Advocate, Bea is recognised for asking the difficult questions early, challenging assumptions and helping clients identify issues before they become problems. Her approach combines practical operational experience with formal safety qualifications, allowing her to bridge the gap that can sometimes exist between compliance requirements and the realities of delivering live events.
Through her writing and speaking, Bea explores the lessons that can be learned from incidents, disasters, popular culture and everyday experiences, making complex safety conversations accessible, practical and relevant for the wider events industry.
Editor's Note: At StageLync, an international platform for the performing arts, we celebrate the diversity of our writers' backgrounds. We recognize and support their choice to use either American or British English in their articles, respecting their individual preferences and origins. This policy allows us to embrace a wide range of linguistic expressions, enriching our content and reflecting the global nature of our community.
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