Safety

Column: Reinforcing Stop-Work Authority the Right Way

One of the more difficult hurdles to overcome when developing a safety leadership culture is getting front-line employees to understand the full weight of their role in stop-work authority.

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One of the more difficult hurdles to overcome when developing a safety leadership culture is getting front-line employees to understand the full weight of their role in stop-work authority. No matter how many times you communicate that they have the authority to stop a job if they feel it is unsafe to proceed, and no matter how many times you emphasize to them that they can and should stop an unsafe behavior whenever and wherever they see it, many front-line employees are simply too reluctant to do that when they’re faced with a real-life safety-critical situation.

One way you can bolster their confidence in these situations is to use a stop-work authority wallet card. A stop-work authority wallet card is used by many companies to reinforce the idea that every employee or contractor has not only the authority but the responsibility to stop a job, an activity, or a behavior if they sense it is unsafe.

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