Although safety is a prime focus on job sites, discrepancies in language can compromise safety. Construction Safety Week’s executive team revealed that specific terminology varies from job site to job site: Safety hazards are called different things on different job sites. This confusion can lead to serious consequences. Amplifying that concern, according to the Construction Safety Research Alliance, during prejob safety meetings, construction workers are able to identify only 45% of the hazards they face.

The biggest job site dangers are categorized under three classifications: high-hazard, high-energy, and STCKY (stuff that can kill you).

These are the most consistent identifiers of serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs). Factors that cause SIFs are different than those that lead to minor injuries. Thus, the Safety Week executive team is asking the industry to adopt the same safety terminology to better protect workers from the most life-threatening dangers.

They’re not inventing new vocabulary. OSHA’s Focus Four have documented the leading causes of death and injury in construction.

Many teams also use an “Energy Wheel” to identify common hazards, such as gravity, motion and sound. The wheel offers a visual side-by-side for teams to identify dangers and correlate them with associated language.

No amount of preplanning can completely eliminate job hazards on a construction site. Therefore, it’s critical to educate crews about preventive actions and equipment to avoid mishaps. Identifying STICKY and SIFs before work starts enables contractors to incorporate safety plans into project planning to mitigate the concern before crews arrive at the job site.

Safety also shouldn’t be top-down. Everyone needs to be involved. Engineering and preconstruction services play a role in prevention. So do skilled craftsmen and supervisors.

“If they’re part of the task to deliver the task, the operation, they need to be part of creating that plan,” said Shaun Carvalho, chief safety officer for Boston-based Shawmut Design and Construction.

Because workers move from job site to job site, having a universal safety language will better prepare them to avoid hazards.

“Electrical work, both inside electrical construction and outside line and utility work, has always exposed workers to high-energy hazards,” said Wesley L. Wheeler, NECA’s executive director of safety. “The recent emphasis on these issues has gained traction with field workers by providing them language to express to others how hazardous a task could really be. ‘STCKY’ is a great reminder to consider the serious injuries and/or fatalities that can occur during the course of electrical installations and maintenance. Focusing on these types of hazards and teaching workers to recognize and avoid them is key to keeping all our workers safe.”