Meeting Objectives

Kick off Construction Safety Week 2026 by sharpening how the crew spots high-energy hazards — the STCKY conditions that cause Serious Injuries and Fatalities. Workers typically catch only ~45% of hazards in pre-task briefings. Today’s session introduces the Energy Wheel as a framework proven to boost hazard recognition by 30%. The goal: every worker asks “What is the high-energy hazard here?” before starting any task.

High Energy Hazards — STCKY

STCKY = Stuff That Can Kill You. The benchmark is any hazard carrying roughly 1,500 foot-pounds of energy or more. Main categories and direct controls:

• Gravity — falls, falling objects → fall protection, guardrails, toe boards, barricaded drop zones
• Motion — vehicles, mobile equipment, swinging loads → spotters, exclusion zones, traffic control, high-vis PPE
• Electrical — energized equipment, overhead lines → LOTO, insulated tools, minimum approach distances, GFCIs
• Struck-by — flying debris, dropped tools → tool tethering, hard barricades, line-of-fire awareness
• Caught-in/between — unguarded machinery, trenches, pinch points → machine guarding, trench protection, zero-energy verification
• Pressure — pneumatic lines, pressurized vessels → bleed-down procedures, relief valves, stored-energy checks
• Thermal/Chemical — burns, toxic exposure, hot work → PPE, SDS review, ventilation, fire watch
• Radiation — welding arc, lasers, ionizing sources → shielding, eye protection, exposure monitoring

The Energy Wheel

The Energy Wheel is a framework to help your team recognize hazard categories before work begins. It isn’t a replacement for your JSA — it’s the lens that makes it sharper. For every energy type present, document the specific hazard and the direct control before moving to the next step.

How to Integrate It

• During JSA development — Spin the wheel against each task step. Document each hazard and control before moving on.
• During the pre-task brief — Call out energy types in play. Workers should name the high-energy hazard on their step and the control protecting them.
• During tailgate talks — Use it as a verbal checklist: “Gravity? Covered. Electrical? Covered. Pressure? Has the line been bled?”
• When scope or conditions change — Re-spin the wheel and update the JSA before continuing.

Key Actions for the Day

• Ask before every task: “What is the high-energy hazard here?”
• Walk every energy type against the step you’re about to perform. If one isn’t accounted for in the JSA, the conversation isn’t done.
• Identify STCKY activities in today’s scope and call them out by name at the brief.
• Verify the control — don’t just name it. Put eyes on the harness, the lockout, the barricade, the bleed valve.
• Spot a hazard that hasn’t been addressed? Stop and speak up. Stop Work Authority belongs to every worker.
• Watch your coworker’s line of fire, not just your own. All In Together.

Discussion Questions

• What is the highest-energy hazard in your work area today?
• Have you used the Energy Wheel before? What hazard did it help you identify?
• What would you do if you noticed a hazard that wasn’t in the JSA or permit?

Why Does This Matter?

Recognizing a hazard is only half the battle. Awareness alone does not keep anyone safe. Once a hazard is identified, our responsibility is to respond immediately — putting the right controls in place before work begins.

The Hierarchy of Controls

Always apply the highest level of protection possible. The higher you go, the stronger and more reliable the protection.

Key Principles

• Start at the top, not the bottom. Always ask “Can we eliminate or isolate this?” before selecting lower-level controls.
• Layer controls when necessary. Many jobs require multiple levels working together.
• Verify controls in the field. A control is only effective if properly installed, functioning, and understood.
• No permit validation = no work start.

Discussion Questions

• What controls are in place today to eliminate or isolate hazardous energy in your task?
• How do we verify our controls are effective — not just documented?
• What would cause us to stop and reassess today’s plan?

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Falls are the leading cause of death in construction — more than struck-by, electrocution, and caught-in/between combined. Year after year, fall protection violations top OSHA’s most-cited list.

The OSHA Rule

• Scaffolds: 10 feet (Subpart L)
• Steel erection: 15 feet (Subpart R)
• Fixed ladders: 24 feet or more
• Over dangerous equipment: any height

Where Falls Happen — 6 Common Locations

• Unprotected sides and edges — any open side 6+ feet above a lower level
• Leading edges — unprotected edge of floor, roof, or formwork that moves as work progresses
• Holes and floor openings — anything a body or foot can fall through; cover it, mark it, secure it
• Roofs — low-slope and steep roofs each have specific requirements
• Wall openings — 30+ inches high, 18+ inches wide, bottom edge 6+ feet above lower level
• Excavations — wells, pits, shafts 6 feet or deeper

Personal Fall Arrest Systems (PFAS) — The ABCs

Inspect Your Gear — Every Use

• Check webbing for cuts, fraying, burns, chemical damage, UV degradation
• Inspect D-rings, buckles, and hardware for deformation or corrosion
• Verify all labels are present and legible
• Check SRL for smooth retraction and locking function
• Any PFAS that has arrested a fall is permanently retired from service

Before You Go Up — Every Time

• Identify the hazard: How high? What’s below? What changes as work moves?
• Pick the right protection system for the task
• Inspect all gear before use
• Calculate fall clearance before you tie off — never assume it’s enough
• Know the rescue plan before going up — suspension trauma can be life-threatening in minutes
• Speak up if something isn’t right. Stop work.

Discussion Questions

• Where are the top fall-hazard locations on this site right now?
• Is everyone’s fall protection inspected and properly fitted today?
• What is our rescue/response plan if a worker is suspended in their harness?

Why This Matters

The skills from Mon–Wed only work if the culture supports using them. Respect for the hazard means never getting comfortable around things that can kill us. Respect for the process means following the steps even when no one is watching. Respect for every person means the newest helper has the same right to go home as the most senior superintendent.

Respect the Hazard

• Never assume a hazard has been addressed unless you confirmed it yourself. Put your own lock on it. Test for zero voltage. Walk over and check the cover. “Somebody told me it was safe” is the story you don’t want to be in.
• Never bypass a safety control, even when you’re in a hurry. No schedule has ever been worth a funeral.
• Treat every STCKY activity as if lives depend on it — because they do.
• Stop work immediately if conditions change and hazards haven’t been reassessed. The plan you made at 7 a.m. may not match the site at 2 p.m.

Respect Every Person

• Listen when a coworker raises a concern — no matter their role or experience. The person closest to the work usually sees the hazard first.
• Never pressure anyone to work in an unsafe condition. Nobody has the authority to tell another worker to bypass a control.
• Speak up — and support others when they speak up. Stop Work Authority is real. Use it.
• Mentor new workers on safe habits. You’re teaching whether you mean to or not.

Stop Work Authority — 4 Steps

Discussion Questions

• What hazard have you started treating as routine? Will you look at it differently now?
• Which SWA step is hardest for this crew — and why?
• Who’s waiting for you at home tonight?

We Made It — Now Let’s Make It Last

This week we worked through the full arc of high-energy safety. Today we close with the piece that ties all of it together: a commitment to keep doing it on Monday, and the Monday after that, and every Monday for the rest of our careers.

What Is a Culture of Care?

• Workers feel comfortable raising concerns without fear of being mocked or sidelined. The newest helper can flag a hazard to the most senior journeyman and expect to be heard.
• Leaders visibly model safe behaviors every single day. Foremen tie off when they’re “just going up for a second.” Nothing kills a safety culture faster than a leader who exempts themselves.
• Near misses get reported and learned from instead of buried. A near miss is a free lesson.
• Safety conversations happen naturally throughout the day, not just in formal meetings.
• Everyone owns safety, not just the people with “safety” in their job title.

The Business Case

For every $1 invested in safety, companies save $3–$6 in workers’ compensation, medical bills, OSHA fines, legal exposure, equipment damage, lost productivity, and rework. One serious incident can wipe out an entire project’s margin. Safety is an investment — one of the highest-return investments any contractor can make.

Mental Health Matters Too

Construction has one of the highest suicide rates of any industry. Check in on teammates. “Hey, are you doing okay?” is enough to open a door.

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988, available 24/7
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) — free, confidential counseling. Ask your supervisor or HR.
• CIASP — free resources built specifically for construction workers

Your Commitment Going Forward

• Start every shift with a real JSA conversation — not a signature on a form.
• Use Stop Work Authority without hesitation when something isn’t right. You will be backed up.
• Report every near miss — the crews that report them are the crews that learn.
• Check in on your coworkers — physically and mentally.
• Be who the new worker watches and learns from. Culture is built one decision at a time.

Discussion Questions

• What is one specific habit you’ll carry into every shift? Be specific — “be safer” doesn’t count.
• What could this crew start or stop doing to strengthen our safety culture?
• Who on this crew deserves recognition for a safe choice they made this week?