1.0 PURPOSE
This program establishes the Stop Work Authority (SWA) of all Nitro employees and sub-contractors to suspend individual tasks or group operations when the control of Health, Safety, or Environmental (HSE) risk is not recognized or understood and/or equipment service is compromised. It is the policy of Nitro Construction Services that:
a. All employees have the authority and responsibility to stop any task or operation where concerns or questions regarding the control of Health, Safety, and Environmental hazards exist.
b. No work will resume until all stop work issues and concerns have been effectively addressed.
c. Any form of retribution or intimidation directed at any employee or sub-contractors for exercising their authority as outlined in this program will not be tolerated.
As with any policy, accountability for non-compliance will follow established company procedures or contract requirements.
2.0 RESPONSIBILITY
2.1 Operations managers have a responsibility to accept and support all “stop work” intervention from team members. Management shall resolve issues resulting from a team member’s “stop work” concerns and ensure no actions are taken as retribution against team member(s) who raise safety concerns to stop an activity they believe is unsafe. This action of “stop work” will also include any evidence of potential equipment service interruption due to unsafe or undocumented processes (methods of the procedure) when performing equipment installations or maintenance.
2.2 Nitro Employees and sub-contractor employees have a responsibility and are authorized to “stop work” on any activity or situation they believe danger or risk is present to them or a coworker without fear of retribution from management. The “stop work” may include a discussion with other employees, or management, or a Safety Representative to resolve work-related issues, address potential unsafe conditions, and/or clarify work instructions, etc.
2.3 The Safety Coordinator is responsible for monitoring compliance with the requirements of this program, the maintenance of associated documents, processes, training materials, identification of trends, and sharing of lessons learned.
3.0 PROCEDURE
3.1 Employees who identify a potentially unsafe condition or act, which could result in an undesirable event, a “stop work” intervention shall be immediately initiated for the individual(s) and/or equipment potentially at risk. All potential unsafe conditions or acts shall be documented on a Job Safety Analysis (JSA). The JSA shall be completed daily at the beginning of every job to identify all potential unsafe conditions or issues.
3.2 The employee(s) who identified the “stop work” incident will notify all affected employees and their supervisor of the stop-work issue.
3.3 All affected employees shall discuss and gain agreement on the “stop work” issue.
3.4 Resolve any issues that have resulted in the “stop work”. The issue resolution or corrective action must be discussed with all employees, including supervision, and be in place before returning to work.
3.5 If employees cannot provide a resolution to the “stop work”, then work shall be suspended until a resolution can be achieved. The immediate supervisor shall make the final determination on the corrective action and provide the go-ahead to continue.
3.6 All corrective actions on the job “stop work” incidence when finalized shall be documented. The supervisor shall use the Nitro Construction Services Incident Reporting form for this process.
4.0 REPORTING
4.1 All “stop work” concerns shall be documented as a “near-miss” report. Employees and supervision shall use Nitro Construction Services Incident Reporting policy form for reporting purposes. The report shall be reviewed by the Corporate Safety Director to:
4.1.1.1 Identify the “stop work” incident
4.1.1.2 Notify and report to affected employees and Project Managers
4.1.1.3 Provide corrective action to job stoppage
4.1.1.4 Resume work after issues has been resolved and cleared to proceed
4.1.1.5 Facilitate lessons learned with employees
4.2 The Corporate Safety Director will publish incident details regarding the “stop work” action to all Nitro Project Managers and work locations outlining the issue, corrective action, and lessons learned.
5.0 FOLLOW-UP
5.1 Management will review all “stop work” reports within one week to identify any additional investigation or follow-up required. The report will be used as part of “lessons learned”. Project Managers will provide the root cause analysis to the “stop work” action and identify any potential opportunities for improvement, encourage employee participation, and share lessons learned.
6.0 TRAINING
6.1 Training regarding this Stop Work Authority Policy will be conducted as part of all new employee orientations. Additionally, this policy as well as other company safety policies shall be reviewed as part of Nitro Construction Services’ tailgate, safety meetings. All documented training shall be kept in the employees’ file, and copies sent to the Nitro Construction Services Safety Director.