Stop-Work Authority: Make the Pause Useful

Know the hazard

Team: General Small Business. Topic: Safety Leadership.

For this talk, we are adopting a simple work rule: anyone who sees an uncontrolled hazard should call for a pause and notify the supervisor. A pause is useful only when people know what happens next. Workers need a direct reporting route, and managers need to respond without punishment for raising a good-faith safety concern.

Use the controls

Use plain words: 'Stop. The load is unstable.' Move to a safe position, warn others who could be exposed, and explain the condition. Do not place yourself in danger to prove the problem or attempt a repair beyond your training. If an emergency exists, follow the emergency plan and contact emergency services as appropriate.

Work within the safe plan

The supervisor must evaluate the concern, arrange a suitable control, and explain the revised plan. Restart only through the company's approval process, after affected people understand what changed. An unanswered concern does not become safe because the schedule is tight. We will judge a good stop by the exposure prevented and the problem resolved, not by whether the worker predicted every technical detail correctly.

Discuss with the crew

An employee notices a ladder foot sinking into soft soil while a coworker prepares to climb. The customer says the task will take only a minute.

Question: How should the employee communicate the concern?
Answer guidance: Call a clear pause, identify the unstable footing, and notify the supervisor from a safe position.

Question: Who decides that work can restart?
Answer guidance: The person designated by company procedure, after a suitable access method and stable setup are verified.

Prepare, act, and follow up

Leader preparation: Confirm the company's stop-work contact and restart approval process before presenting.

Put it into practice: Practice a short stop-work message and identify the actual person who can arrange a correction today.

Supervisor follow-up: Confirm workers can report concerns privately as well as verbally, and close the communication loop after each pause.

Official reference: OSHA — Worker Participation
https://www.osha.gov/safety-management/worker-participation

Awareness briefing. Apply current site procedures and applicable requirements. This talk does not replace required qualification, practical training, exposure assessment, medical evaluation, or a written program.

Suggested session: 5-7 minutes, including discussion and activity. Prepared October 18, 2026; recheck current requirements before use.

Show the crew

Practice a short stop-work message and identify the actual person who can arrange a correction today.