Granite’s Utah Region is Getting into STCKY Jobsite Specifics

Throughout 2024, Granite is focused on our “stuff that can kill you” (STCKY) program. This effort is designed to get everyone on our jobsites involved in noticing, identifying, and mitigating potentially dangerous activities or conditions and remains top of mind for Granite safety professionals and regional leaders. Since 2021 the Utah Region has stood out in the company for its dedication to Granite’s STCKY program, reporting 20 STCKY events in two years and finishing 2023 with a 0.0 DART rate and a 0.0 OSHA rate. We sat down with the Utah leadership team to discuss how STCKY is working for them, how they are using it to support a great safety culture, and what they see as the next steps. 

“Having an outstanding safety culture and performance takes planning, training, the right tools, constant communication, feedback, follow-up, and teamwork,” says Utah Region Manager Jason Klaumann. “STCKY is the framework that provides those necessary factors.” 

Regional Safety Manager Travis Johnson expanded on this idea: “A great safety culture takes drive, determination, hard work, and, importantly, belief—belief that your goal of reaching excellence is possible.” 

These sentiments get down to a key factor of developing a safety culture: buying into the idea that the challenges we face are opportunities for excellence. Every action we take, the conversations we have, and the training we invest in—all builds our safety culture. 

More specifically regarding the Utah Region’s 2023 success, Klaumann offered a list of key factors: “We have built top-to-bottom buy-in and a strong belief that excellence is achievable; our leadership in the field is committed, our management is supportive, and our people feel empowered to speak up.” 

Beyond the basics of planning and communication, the region is focused on being rigorous with Granite’s core safety commitments of people, planning, and performance. Take 5 daily safety meetings, inspections, and observations are incorporated with quarterly safety, health, environmental, and quality audits, and management is in the field supporting operations. 

Keeping lines of communication open was also seen as a vital part of supporting a strong safety culture. 

“We need to break down silos,” says Superintendent Rhett Elton. “People need to know that they can reach out anytime; our door is always open on safety issues.” 

Equipment Manager Jeremy Barney adds sage advice: “Be relentless with the everyday focus on STCKY. Have meaningful conversations with your people, discuss wellness, and combat complacency.” 

Moving forward the Utah Region is focused on ensuring that every employee is empowered to speak up and be confident in reporting any STCKY issue. This emphasis will be highlighted throughout 2024 with an emphasis on reporting STCKY success events—namely, identifying those times where a STCKY risk was recognized and addressed preemptively. Utah has made great strides in leveraging STCKY and has plans to continue the effort to make our work as safe as possible.