Building Raising AHA (Activity Hazard Analysis / Job Hazard Analysis)

Updated 2026-06-23

A Building Raising AHA (Activity Hazard Analysis / Job Hazard Analysis) is the plan that keeps the crew raising a building safe in the synchronized jacking and building stability, in the cribbing and working under the building, and through the utility and structural connections. Building raising lifts an existing building with jacks for elevation or foundation work — combining the synchronized-jacking and building-stability hazard, the cribbing and working-under-the-building hazard, and the utility and structural-connection hazard. This guide walks through building a Building Raising AHA that names the synchronized-jacking/building-stability, cribbing/working-under, and utility/structural-connection hazards and assigns the jacking, cribbing, and connection controls that hold up in the field.

Why building raising needs its own AHA

Building raising is the lifting or jacking of an existing building — house raising, structure elevation (for flood mitigation), or lifting a building to work on or replace its foundation — using a system of jacks, beams, cribbing, and supports to raise the entire building. The defining feature is that an entire building is lifted as a unit on many jacks and cribbing, so the synchronized jacking of the whole building, its stability as a lifted unit, the working beneath it, and its utility and structural connections are central. The hazards combine the synchronized-jacking and building-stability (raising an entire building requires many jacks lifting in sync — the building-stability hazard (a building can rack, crack, twist, or fall if jacked unevenly/unstably), and the synchronization of the many jacks is critical), the cribbing and working-under-the-building (the building is supported on extensive cribbing as it is raised, and workers work under it (foundation work, beneath) — the cribbing-adequacy and working-under-a-raised-load hazards), the utility and structural-connection (raising a building affects its utility connections (which must be disconnected/managed) and its structural connections/ integrity as it is lifted), and the jack-failure. The synchronized-jacking/building-stability and the cribbing/ working-under justify a dedicated AHA.

Breaking building raising into steps

The steps for a Building Raising AHA follow the raising:

• Engineer the raising (jacking system, beams, cribbing, sequence)
• Disconnect/manage the utilities
• Set up the jacking system and beams under the building
• Jack the building (synchronized, monitored)
• Follow with cribbing/positive support; work under on support
• Manage the jacking, cribbing, and connection hazards
• Set the building on its new/permanent support
• Complete

Each step carries a hazard, and the synchronized-jacking/building-stability, the cribbing/working-under, and the utility/structural-connection are where the most significant risks concentrate.

The hazards step by step

Synchronized-jacking and building-stability

Raising an entire building requires many jacks lifting in sync — the building-stability hazard (a building can rack, crack, twist, or fall if jacked unevenly/unstably), and the synchronization of the many jacks is critical. The controls are an engineered building-raising plan (the jacking system, beam/support layout, loads, and a synchronized lift plan for the whole building), synchronized jacking of the many jacks (uneven jacking racks, cracks, or destabilizes the building), monitoring the lift (level, stability, jack loads across the building), qualified building-raising contractors (specialized work), and the jacking/stability controls. The synchronized- jacking/building-stability is the primary defining hazard — a whole building must be lifted evenly and stably. (These follow the jacking fundamentals.)

Cribbing and working-under-the-building

The building is supported on extensive cribbing as it is raised, and workers work under it (foundation work, beneath) — the cribbing-adequacy and working-under-a-raised-load hazards. The controls are adequate, stable cribbing following the lift (rated cribbing carrying the building's load at each stage), positive support before working under the building (the building on adequate cribbing/support, NEVER on jacks alone, before anyone works beneath — jacks can fail), and the cribbing/under-load controls. The cribbing/working-under is a defining hazard — never work under a building held only by jacks. (These follow the cribbing and suspended-load fundamentals.)

Utility and structural-connection

Raising a building affects its utility connections (which must be disconnected/managed) and its structural connections/integrity as it is lifted. The controls are disconnecting/managing the utilities before raising (electrical, gas, water, sewer must be disconnected/flexed — raising a building with connected utilities damages them and creates hazards, e.g., a gas line), managing the building's structural integrity as it is lifted (bracing, avoiding damage), and the utility/connection controls. The utility/structural-connection is a defining hazard — the building's connections must be managed before raising. (These follow the utility-isolation fundamentals.)

Jack-failure

The jack failure (hydraulic jack failure across the system) carries the jack-failure hazard. The controls are rated, maintained jacks, not relying on jacks as sole support, and the jack controls. (These follow the hydraulic-equipment fundamentals.)

A simple Building Raising AHA structure

Synchronized building jacking and positive support/utility management

A Building Raising AHA centers on synchronized building jacking and positive support/utility management. The synchronized building jacking addresses lifting the whole building evenly — controlled by an engineered building-raising plan (jacking system, beam layout, loads, synchronized lift plan), synchronized jacking of the many jacks (uneven jacking racks or destabilizes the building), monitoring the lift, and qualified building- raising contractors. The positive support/utility management addresses working under the building and its connections — controlled by adequate cribbing following the lift with positive support before working under (NEVER on jacks alone), and disconnecting/managing the utilities before raising. And the jacks get rated/ maintained controls. An AHA built on synchronized building jacking and positive support/utility management, with jack controls, addresses the hazards that define building raising.

From the field: what actually goes wrong

In fourteen years across federal, heavy civil, and industrial projects, building raising lifts an entire building as a unit, which takes the jacking and support hazards of structure raising and applies them to a whole building that must move as one without racking apart. The synchronized-jacking and building-stability hazard is the primary defining concern — raising an entire building requires many jacks lifting in synchronization, and the building-stability hazard is that a building is not a rigid block; it can rack, crack, twist, or fall if it is jacked unevenly or unstably, so the synchronization of the many jacks across the building is critical. If some jacks lift faster than others, the building racks and cracks (or worse, tips), so an engineered building-raising plan (the jacking system, the beam and support layout, the loads, and a synchronized lift plan for the whole building), synchronized jacking of the many jacks (keeping the lift even across the building), monitoring the lift (level, stability, and jack loads across the whole building), and qualified building-raising contractors (this is specialized work) are the controls. Lifting a building evenly so it does not rack apart is the core challenge.

The cribbing/working-under and the utility/structural-connection are the other defining hazards. On the projects I have run, the same cribbing and working-under rules from structure raising apply, intensified because it is a building over the workers: the building is supported on extensive cribbing as it is raised (rated cribbing that follows the lift, carrying the building's load at each stage), and workers work under the building (for foundation work), so positive support before working under the building — never relying on jacks alone — is the life-safety rule, because a building held only by jacks that fail would drop on the workers beneath. And the utility/ structural-connection hazard is specific to raising an occupied/serviced building: the building's utility connections (electrical, gas, water, sewer) must be disconnected or managed before raising, because raising a building with its utilities still connected damages them and creates hazards — a gas line pulled apart by a rising building is a serious hazard — and the building's structural integrity must be managed as it is lifted (bracing, avoiding damage). Disconnecting the utilities before the lift is a key step people can overlook. The jack-failure hazard rounds it out. The AHA built on synchronized building jacking and positive support/utility management is the one that protects the building-raising crew.

The bottom line

A Building Raising AHA names the synchronized-jacking/building-stability, the cribbing/working-under, and the utility/structural-connection hazards with specific controls — synchronized jacking of the many jacks so the building lifts evenly without racking, adequate cribbing with positive support before working under (never on jacks alone), and disconnecting the utilities before raising. The synchronized building jacking and the positive support/utility management are the defining concerns. The AHA that manages both is the one that protects the crew.

Frequently asked questions

Why is synchronized jacking critical for a building?

Raising an entire building requires many jacks lifting in synchronization, and a building is not a rigid block — it can rack, crack, twist, or fall if jacked unevenly or unstably, so if some jacks lift faster than others the building racks and cracks or tips. Controls are an engineered building-raising plan (jacking system, beam layout, loads, synchronized lift plan), synchronized jacking of the many jacks (keeping the lift even across the building), monitoring the lift (level, stability, jack loads across the whole building), qualified building-raising contractors, and the jacking/stability controls.

Why disconnect utilities before raising a building?

The building's utility connections (electrical, gas, water, sewer) must be disconnected or managed before raising, because raising a building with its utilities still connected damages them and creates hazards — a gas line pulled apart by a rising building is a serious hazard. Controls are disconnecting/managing the utilities before raising, managing the building's structural integrity as it is lifted (bracing, avoiding damage), and the utility/connection controls.

Why never work under a building held only by jacks?

Workers work under the building (for foundation work), so the same rule as structure raising applies, intensified because it is a building over the workers: a building held only by jacks that fail would drop on the workers beneath. Controls are adequate, stable cribbing following the lift, positive support before working under the building (the building on adequate cribbing/support, NEVER on jacks alone, before anyone works beneath), and the cribbing/under-load controls.

What is building raising?

Building raising is the lifting or jacking of an existing building — house raising, structure elevation for flood mitigation, or lifting a building to work on or replace its foundation — using a system of jacks, beams, cribbing, and supports to raise the entire building. Because it requires synchronized jacking of the whole building (stability), extensive cribbing with working beneath, and managing utility/structural connections, those hazards apply.

Related AHAs and JHAs

• Structure Raising AHA — the raising of structures
• Selective Building Demolition AHA — related building work
• Precision Equipment Jacking JHA — the jacking fundamentals
• Lifting and Rigging JHA — the lifting and load fundamentals

Written by Mustafa Tok, CSP, ASP, CHST — OSHA Authorized Outreach Trainer with 14+ years of international construction safety experience across federal, heavy civil, and industrial projects.