Construction jobsites can have elements of danger, and employees should always be confident that they are in control of their own safety. One way to provide that control is through stop-work authority, which gives workers the ability to stop work when a perceived unsafe condition or behavior is seen or recognized.

When performing work, it is important that employees feel empowered and know that they have the authority to stop work if a hazard that prohibits them from conducting a task safely is evident. Stopping work is, at times, a sensitive issue depending on the industry. Concerns about down time, added costs or missing deadlines can cause hesitation. These concerns or a lack of confidence or support from management to exercise their stop-work authority can enable a safety issue to escalate.

Situations that may require an employee to exercise their stop-work authority include, but are not limited to:

• changes in work conditions;
• changes to scope of work or work plan;
• emergency situations;
• equipment breakage or improper use;
• near-miss incidents; and
• lack of knowledge, understanding, or information.

It’s important for organizations to ensure that their employees feel empowered to signal a need to stop work on a jobsite. It begins with them being confident that they will not be reprimanded in any way. It’s important to make sure employees don’t have any of the following concerns regarding stopping work due to a feared hazard:

• fear of punishment from supervisor;
• fear of conflict with other employees;
• being labeled as a “snitch” or “soft worker”;
• fear of losing job; and
• do not want to slow project or work down.

To truly enforce its employees’ rights for a safe work site, a company should instruct its employees that stop-work authority is not just a right, it is a responsibility. This takes it from allowing or giving permission to stop work, to a responsibility to do so to protect themselves and others.

The job of a safe employee is to do anything and everything needed to keep themselves and all those around them safe, and that means speaking up if something is not right. At the end of the day, stopping work can keep employees, coworkers and a company safe.

If an employee sees a potential hazard, risk or unsafe action, they have the responsibility to contact their direct supervisor or safety team member immediately and to alert any co-workers or others on site who are assigned to or may be affected by the specific task. At that point, the manager or safety team member should analyze the issue and take corrective actions to resolve any safety issue(s).

This immediate action on a jobsite encourages employees to speak up, knowing they will be trusted, that their concerns will be validated and that there is no fear of repercussions knowing that management is backing their concerns. If the issue turns out to be something not as serious, it is still a learning experience for all involved and demonstrates the importance of communication across all levels and all entities on a site. This action shows the mentality of being brothers' and sisters' keepers that is always key to a safe project.

Stop-work responsibility is a crucial task on which employees should be trained extensively and feel confident exercising. Ensuring that a company’s employees know the steps to stop work and who to approach is critical to creating a safer work environment. In that way, stop-work authority becomes stop-work responsibility, and everyone benefits from a safe jobsite.