Stop Work Authority

Stop Work Authority (SWA) provides employees and contract workers with the responsibility and obligation to stop work when a perceived unsafe condition or behavior may result in an unwanted event.  All employees have the authority and obligation to stop any task or operation where concerns or questions exist regarding the control of HSE risk, no work will resume until all stop work issues and concerns have been adequately addressed, and any form of retribution or intimidation directed at any individual or company for exercising their authority as outlined in this program will not be tolerated.

An effective Stop Work Authority program must have established roles and responsibilities for all members of the organization.

• All employees have the authority and obligation to stop any task or operation where concerns or questions regarding the control of HSE risk exist. Also, it is important that all employees support the intervention of others and properly report all “stop work” actions.
• Line Supervisors are responsible to create a culture where SWA is exercised freely, honor request for ‘stop work’, to resolve issues before operations resume, recognize proactive participation and ensure that all “stop work” actions are properly reported with required follow-up report completed.
• Management must establish the clear expectation to exercise SWA, create a culture where SWA is exercised freely, resolve SWA conflicts when they arise and hold those accountable that choose not to comply with established SWA policies.
• HSE in support of operations is responsible for monitoring compliance with the requirements of SWA programs, maintenance of associated documents, processes and training materials, identification of trends, sharing of leanings and publication of required records.

In general terms, the SWA process involves a stop, notify, correct and resume approach for the resolution of a perceived unsafe work action(s) or condition(s). Much like behavior-based safety processes, a workforce that clearly understands how to initiate, receive and respond to a “stop work” intervention is more likely to participate. Though obvious to some, the following procedures create an environment where people know how to act and respond. Though situations may differ, the following steps should be the framework for all stop work interventions.

1. Identify unsafe conditions/behavior
2. Initiate stop work action
3. Stop work actions should be initiated in a positive manner.
4. Notify all affected personnel and supervision
5. All parties shall discuss and gain agreement on the stop work issue.
6. If determined and agreed that the task or operation is OK to proceed as is (i.e., the stop work initiator was unaware of certain facts or procedures) the affected persons should thank the initiator for their concern and proceed with the work.
7. If determined and agreed that the stop work issue is valid, then every attempt should be made to resolve the issue to all affected person’s satisfaction prior to the commencement of work and no work shall resume until all stop work issues and concerns have been adequately addressed.
8. If the stop work issue cannot be resolved immediately, work shall be suspended until proper resolution is achieved. When opinions differ regarding the validity of the stop work issue or adequacy of the resolution actions, the location’s “person in charge” shall make the final determination. Details regarding differences of opinions and resolution actions should be included in the documented report.
9. Positive feedback should be given to all affected employees regarding the resolution of the stop work issue. Any form of retribution or intimidation directed at any individual or company for exercising their right to issue a stop work authority will not be tolerated at the host facility. Under no circumstances should retribution be directed at any person(s) who exercise in good faith their stop work authority as detailed in this program.
10. All stop work interventions and associated details shall be documented and reported as detailed in this program for lessons learned and corrective measures to be put into place

Employees are responsible for initiating a Stop Work Intervention when warranted and management is responsible for creating a culture where Stop Work Authority is exercised freely. In order to build and reinforce a culture in which SWA is conducted properly, line supervisors are encouraged to positively recognize employee participation in the program.