The Ultimate Safety Tool: Your Personal Accountability and Stop Work Authority

Two human behaviours underpin every other safety control: arriving at work fit to do it, and being willing to say "stop" when something isn't right. Procedures, permits and equipment all help, but they can't protect anyone if the person doing the job is exhausted, impaired, or too uncomfortable to speak up.

So this rule has two parts: come to work fit for duty, and stop the job when you see something unsafe.

What that looks like on the job

• Be fit for duty. That means rested, alert and free from the effects of alcohol and drugs, including some prescription medicines. If you're not fit, say so. It's a responsible decision, not a weakness.
• Look out for each other. Fatigue and stress are often easier to spot in a colleague than in yourself.
• Use your Stop Work Authority. If a condition looks unsafe, a plan doesn't make sense, or a rule can't be followed, pause the job and raise it. Make it safe, then carry on.
• Follow through. Reporting a problem is a good start, but it only protects people if something changes. If a concern sits unresolved, escalate it.
• If you're a leader, thank people who stop the job, even when it turns out to be a false alarm. How you react decides whether they'll do it again.

Real-World Impact

Before the 2001 explosion at the Motiva refinery in Delaware City, which killed one worker and injured eight, the warning signs had already been raised. The refinery's sulfuric acid tanks had a history of leaks, the company's own tank inspectors had recommended internal inspections "as soon as possible" in three successive annual reports, and an Unsafe Condition Report had been filed about the tanks. The Chemical Safety Board found that Motiva investigated the report but took no effective action to correct the problems. A concern that's raised but never acted on protects nobody.

Source: U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), Motiva Enterprises investigation (2002)

Reflective Questions

• If you came to work too tired or unwell to work safely, would you feel safe telling someone?
• When did you last stop a job, and how did people respond?
• What happens to the safety concerns reported on our site, and does the person who raised them hear back?