In the construction world, there are all different types of hazards. And there is a big difference between the hazards that can injure you and the hazards that can kill you.
The latter are referred to as STCKY or “Stuff That Can Kill You.” While there has been a significant reduction of recordable injuries in construction over the last 10+ years, there continues to be a high number of “Serious Injuries or Fatalities” or SIF.
If we value the safety of our workers in the construction industry and want to move the needle, we need to do more than train occasionally or wait for special events like National Safety Stand Down Week to help workers identify and prevent STCKY.
Recognizing STCKY
STCKY hazards aren’t your minor hazards. We’re talking falls from height, getting crushed by heavy equipment, electrical shock, trench collapses, etc. It’s the big-ticket stuff that can lead to a SIF.
The hard truth? In an effort to prevent injuries in the workplace, we have become much better at preventing the common minor-to-medium hazards, while overlooking the STCKY. Correctly identifying STCKY should be the focus of every pre-task plan. This is where training, repetition and building a culture can effectively prevent a SIF. Safety Stand Down Week is the perfect opportunity to hit pause and get laser focused on STCKY identification and planning controls as part of the daily routine.
Hazard Awareness Isn’t Enough
Every new hire sits through orientation and watches the safety videos. But then, too often we simply hand them a hard hat, and maybe walk them through a JHA (Job Hazard Analysis) or two. But here’s the thing: recognizing hazards isn’t a training event – it’s a skill you build with experience and daily vigilance.
The best companies don’t just train people what the hazards are. They train them to ALWAYS be thinking about how hazards can turn deadly and what they’re going to do about it. That’s the real goal of a safety stand down: to slow down, be aware and boost that mental “danger radar.”
The Big STCKY Categories You’ve Got to Train
If you want your crews to be able to “see the STCKY,” you’ve got to get real specific. Fall prevention is a major piece of this, but not the only one. Here are the big hitters you should cover:
- Falls from Heights: Roof edges, open holes, scaffolds, ladders. If gravity’s involved, it’s STCKY.
- Caught-In/Between: Heavy machinery, trench walls, swinging loads. Crushed is crushed, whether it’s 10 pounds or 10 tons.
- Struck-By: Tools falling from above, vehicles backing up, flying debris. If it hits you hard enough, it can be bad news.
- Electrocution: Live wires, overhead lines, buried utilities. Electricity doesn’t care if you don’t see it.
Each one of these hazards needs its own spotlight during Safety Stand Down Week. Give real examples. Show pictures. Talk through “what ifs.”
Fall Prevention: Seeing Fall-Related STCKY
Let’s talk about falls specifically since that’s one of the leading killers in construction.
Fall hazards are sneaky. Sometimes they’re obvious; other times, they’re hidden. A temporary hole covered with plywood that isn’t secured. A ladder leaning just a little too much to one side. A lift that’s being moved while someone’s still in the basket.
Falls aren’t normally accidents, but the result of missed steps, missed inspections or missed judgment calls. If we teach workers to think Where could gravity hurt me right now?, we teach them to catch the fall hazards before the hazards catch them.
During your safety stand down, reinforce safety principles as often as you can. Walk your crews through:
- How to properly inspect fall protection gear (harnesses, lanyards, SRLs)
- How to spot fall exposure points
- Why 6 feet isn’t “no big deal”
- How to use ladders and aerial lifts correctly
Make it real. Make it visual. And make it clear: every fall is a STCKY event waiting to happen. Train them not to play Russian Roulette.
Using the Energy Wheel to Spot the Danger
One tool that helps crews “see” STCKY better is the Energy Wheel. It’s simple: every injury involves some form of energy – gravity, motion, electrical, chemical, mechanical.
Train your team to ask: “Where’s the energy here? And what happens if I lose control of it?”
That’s how a “normal day” stays a normal day. You want them to look around and see falling objects, moving machines, stored pressure and respect the danger.
During your safety stand down, post up an Energy Wheel graphic and go through real-life examples of how uncontrolled energy caused serious incidents. Get people thinking in terms of “energy out of control equals someone getting hurt.”
Proactive Hazard Identification: Make It Everyone’s Job
One of the biggest cultural shifts you can make during Safety Stand Down Week is this: hazard spotting isn’t just the safety guy’s job: it’s everyone’s job.
Train your people to:
- Call out hazards without fear of “getting someone in trouble”
- Trust their gut – if it feels wrong, it probably is
- Stop work if they see STCKY, no matter what
- Speak up when they see something that isn’t right
And then reward them when they do.
Give them a simple process. Maybe it’s filling out a quick digital form. Maybe it’s a text to a foreman. Whatever it is, make reporting easy and fast.
When someone does call out a STCKY hazard? Celebrate it, don’t bury it. Recognizing a killer before it strikes should be treated like finding a winning lottery ticket. It’s beneficial for the whole business – just like it’s good for a tech company to find a software bug, or for a crew to discover a flat tire before a plane takes off.
Layer Your Protection Like Swiss Cheese
You’ve probably heard of the Swiss Cheese Model of safety. It basically says no single safety measure is perfect: every single one has holes. So the more layers you stack, the less chance something slips through.
For example, for fall prevention:
- Guardrails (first layer)
- Fall arrest systems (second layer)
- Training and inspection (third layer)
- Safe work procedures (fourth layer)
Each layer covers the gaps in the others. During your safety stand down, show your teams how layering protections makes a huge difference. One harness inspection might catch a defect. One second look might spot a missing anchor. One “gut feeling” might stop a tragedy.
Tools to Put in Their Hands
Training isn’t enough if workers don’t have the tools to act on what they see. Make sure you also:
- Roll out digital forms for JHAs, FLRAs, permits and inspections
- Give crews mobile apps for hazard reporting
- Make daily toolbox talks focused on spotting STCKY
- And, our favorite: provide training to every employee, every day
If you put the right tools in their hands, you make it much more likely they’ll take the right action when it matters most.
Building a STCKY-Aware Culture
Culture eats policy for breakfast. You can have all the safety rules in the world, but if the culture says “hurry up and get it done,” people will cut corners. To combat this, use your safety stand down to:
- Tell real stories of how STCKY almost seriously injured someone
- Recognize workers who prevent incidents both big and small
- Have honest conversations about “production pressure”
- Make it 100% clear that you’d rather lose a job than lose a worker
When people see that safety really is the most important thing – not just words on a flyer – they start acting differently.
Wrapping It Up: See It, Call It, Fix It
At the end of the day, training workers to recognize STCKY isn’t about fancy programs or laminated posters. It’s about changing the way people see the work in front of them.
If every worker on your site sees the deadly risks, calls them out without fear, fixes them or stops work until they’re fixed, then you’re winning. You’re building a team that’s not just checking boxes, but truly looking out for each other.
This Safety Stand Down Week, don’t waste the opportunity. Take a step back. Make it real. Make it personal. Teach your teams to spot the STCKY before it spots them. Because, at the end of the day, nothing – not a deadline, not a paycheck, not a production goal – is worth someone’s life. Not now. Not ever.
To learn how you can take Safety Stand Down Week to the next level and create a smarter, faster, more productive workforce, schedule a meeting to speak with a Tyfoom training consultant today!