Stopping an operation is better than risking a loss and thus, Stop Work Authority authorizes employees to stop an action or condition they consider to be unsafe. The goal behind such a plan is to encourage workers to speak up without fear of retribution when they see a potential at-risk situation unfolding.
OSHA supports that “the best safety and health programs involve every level of the organization, instilling a safety culture that reduces accidents for workers and improves the bottom line for managers”, concluding that “when safety and health are part of the organization and a way of life, everyone wins.”.
Overall, Stop Work Authority supports this idea with the development of an environment and culture that encourage the belief that every person can create and maintain a workplace free of illness or injury or other loss.
Stop Work is vital
Situations that warrant a Stop Work Authority may include, but are not limited to the following:
- Alarms
- Change in conditions
- Changes to scope of work or work plan
- Emergency situation
- Equipment used improperly
- Lack of knowledge, understanding or information
- Near-miss incident
- Unsafe conditions
For safe operation when STOP WORK Authority
ALWAYS
- Encourage a culture where all staff feel empowered to “STOP WORK”;
- Respect intervention;
- Thank the person who stopped you and may have saved your life!
NEVER
- React poorly to a safety intervention;
- Be afraid to intervene; if in doubt, step forward;
- Leave it to someone else.
Stop Work Authority is comprised of a six-step process:
- Stop – When you or a colleague perceive condition(s) or behaviour(s) that pose imminent danger to person(s), equipment, or the environment, they must immediately initiate a stop work intervention with the person(s) potentially at risk.
- Notify – Notify affected personnel and supervision of the stop work action.
- Investigate – Affected personnel will discuss the situation and come to an agreement on the stop work action.
- Correct – The affected area(s) will then be inspected by qualified experts to verify completeness of the modifications and verify all safety issues have been properly resolved.
- Resume – All affected personnel will be notified of what corrective actions were implemented and the affected area(s) will be reopened for work by personnel with restart authority.
- Follow-up – The Safety Manager will publish the incident details regarding the stop work action to all Operations Managers and employees, outlining the issue, corrective action, and lessons learned.
