On the Limits of Stop Work Authority

Basics

• Much of this, at least as of now, is a rant by User: Eric , although feel free to add your own thoughts!

Rant by User: Eric

• User: Eric here, been thinking about this and some other aspects of Safety Culture and related stuff at my current job for a while, anywho here’s my thoughts:
  • “ Stop Work Authority “ has become quite the trend in Management / Safety Circles recently
    • The “gist” of it is “If you see something, say something” but applied to Safety Work Conditions / unnoticed job hazards etc
  • It’s not a HORRIBLE idea, but:
    • 1.) It relies on the workers having all these aspects going for them:
      • They are trained enough to recognize hazards/regulatory violations etc
      • They have the Mental Energy to be able to think that all over in the midst of doing their tasks
      • They have the ability to articulate all that
      • They have the time/energy to “hunt down” someone from management, who may be offsite, and “bug them” with said safety issue
        • Related to this it also implies a management policy of Managers being approachable, and to an extent pretends Power Dynamics don’t exist
          • The person who willingly puts their life on the line/has no self preservation instincts and whatnot is PROBABLY going to be looked on more fondly, than the cautious one who is checking things/may not do unmitigated risks/violations etc for the company’s bottom line/their bosses ego etc
  • To an extent this can lead to a bit of a Catch 22 wherin if you bring up a risk, you are seen as bugging/doubting Authority, or depending on when you get to that may be asked “why didn’t you tell us sooner, dummy?” Etc, OR if you “geter done” and get hurt, all responsibility can be dumped on you for “not POSSIBLY noticing the OBVIOUSLY dangerous thing and telling management”
  • All in all, in a vacuum ( ~~such as that which managment and some safety professionals/regulators operate in~~ ) it’s not a bad idea, but in reality for the most part it just enables lazy Job Hazard Analysis , and dumps all responsibility/liability at the feet of the grunts doing the actual work
    • It’s more an indictment of a Toxic Workplace / Poor Management etc, but even then if a JHA is done properly/a sales rep or supervisor “Walks the Site” first + Makes sure all SIMOPS / HAZCOM / LOTO (or Lockout, Tagout, Check ), short of not doing anything reckless, there should be little required of the workers, unless they are “training up” for those managerial tasks etc

Solutions

• No Asshole Rule
  • In addition to/in leu of that, Workplace Democracy / Worker Self Management etc
    • In Addition to/In Leu of that strict safety protocols + require management to walk all jobsites first