How Visual JHAs Transformed This Safety Program

When a regional general contractor came to me with a problem, they weren't looking for photography. They were looking for a solution to their JHA compliance challenge. Their written Job Hazard Analyses weren't being used. Workers weren't reading them. And incidents were happening that the JHAs should have prevented.

The Problem with Traditional JHAs

Traditional JHAs are text-heavy documents that describe tasks, hazards, and controls. The problem? Most workers don't learn best by reading. They learn by seeing and doing. A wall of text about "maintaining three points of contact" doesn't stick the way a visual demonstration does.

The contractor's existing JHAs were technically complete, but practically useless. They sat in binders. They got pulled out for audits. But they didn't change behavior on the jobsite.

The Visual JHA Approach

We rebuilt their top 20 JHAs using step-by-step photography. Each task was broken down into individual steps, with each step photographed showing:

• The correct body position and technique
• The required PPE for that specific step
• The potential hazards present
• The controls being implemented

The result was a visual guide that could be understood at a glance—even by workers with limited English proficiency or reading challenges.

The Results: 40% Incident Reduction

Within 12 months of implementing visual JHAs, the contractor saw measurable improvements:

Why It Works

Visual JHAs work because they communicate in the language of the field. Construction workers are visual, hands-on learners. Showing them the right way to do something is infinitely more effective than telling them. And when the images are captured on their jobsites, with their equipment, by their colleagues—the relevance is immediate.