Construction Safety Week Pushes Industry-Wide Hazard Vocabulary to Cut SIF Rates
According to Construction Dive, Construction Safety Week’s executive team has issued a proposal to standardize hazard terminology across the construction industry, calling on all parties to adopt the terms “high hazard,” “high energy,” and “STCKY” (stuff that can kill you) as a shared framework for identifying the dangers most likely to result in serious injuries and fatalities.
Market Impact
Construction Safety Week’s executive team is pushing to unify jobsite safety language after identifying fragmentation as a driver of serious injuries and fatalities. According to the Construction Safety Research Alliance, construction workers identify only 45% of the hazards they face during pre-job safety meetings. The Safety Week executive team found that even when workers do spot dangers, they often use different terminology from one jobsite to the next.
The three proposed classifications target what the team calls SIFs, serious injuries and fatalities, noting that the factors driving those events differ from the causes of more minor incidents. Adam Jelen, CEO of Gilbane Building Co. and chair of the Construction Safety Week executive committee, told Construction Dive the goal is to simplify jobsite language and close recognition gaps for workers moving between projects.
The vocabulary isn’t entirely new. Sundt Construction, based in Tempe, Arizona, piloted its STCKY program and earned a national innovation award from the Associated General Contractors of America. The Safety Week proposal builds on existing frameworks by consolidating them into one unified resource, including visual tools like an “Energy Wheel” that maps hazard types such as gravity, motion, and sound.
Hal Wheatley, corporate safety director for Manhattan Construction out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, noted that safety planning has shifted from the construction execution phase into the project pursuit phase, meaning subcontractors are increasingly expected to demonstrate SIF-focused processes before a contract is awarded.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Workers on multi-GC jobsites now encounter varying safety vocabularies, which creates confusion during pre-task planning. Aligning your internal training to the “high hazard,” “high energy,” and STCKY framework positions your crews to meet GC expectations before they become a prequalification issue.
- SIF-focused safety programs are increasingly being evaluated at the project pursuit stage, not just during execution. Subcontractors who can demonstrate a SIF-specific hazard identification process in their bid packages gain a competitive edge.
- The 45% hazard recognition rate cited by the Construction Safety Research Alliance is a direct liability exposure for subcontractors. Adopting standardized visual tools like the Energy Wheel in toolbox talks is a low-cost way to close that gap.
- As major GCs like Gilbane and Manhattan Construction formalize this language internally, subcontractors should expect it to appear in site-specific safety plans and daily hazard forms. Getting familiar with the terminology now avoids friction on day one of mobilization.
