STCKY integrates into existing processes to protect lives.
Ames is launching a new way of talking company-wide about safety and serious risk. STCKY, or Sh*t That Can Kill You, focuses attention on the hazards most likely to cause serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs).
Pilot projects in 2025 helped test the STCKY approach. Foremen, superintendents, and crews used STCKY during planning sessions, morning briefings, and in the field. What we learned was clear:
- The language is easy to understand and apply.
- Conversations become more focused on energy, exposure, and consequences.
- Field leaders are more confident in stopping or adjusting work when serious risk isn’t well controlled.
How will STCKY be rolled out?
- Tool kits will arrive at sites in early February.
- Select groups will begin training the second week of February.
Why STCKY matters
While many injuries are minor, SIFs and PSIFs (potential SIFs, such as near misses and high-risk situations) typically come from a small number of high-energy, high-consequence hazards.
SIFs are life ending, life threatening, or life altering. A single SIF can change lives forever, affecting coworkers, their families, and the organization. Traditional safety conversations don’t always highlight those risks clearly or consistently. STCKY shifts conversations from checking boxes to thinking critically about risk.
What's changing?
Rather than adding a new step, STCKY is being integrated into existing processes. STCKY will be:
- Built into pre-task planning and job hazard analyses.
- Reinforced during morning briefings and toolbox talks.
- Used as a common reference point during leadership and field conversations.