STOP WORK AUTHORITY VS COMPETENT PERSON RESPONSIBILIES
Many companies have a written policy that encourages employees to step in and literally STOP the work process when an unsafe situation is taking place or is about to occur. This “STOP Work Authority” empowers employees to take this action, even if they don’t normally work in a particular area or have authority over a particular work process. This is a key aspect of having a healthy safety culture.
The competent person responsibilities go beyond “STOP Work Authority” and moves toward “GO Work Safely Authority”.
By definition a competent person means “One who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings, or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.”
The big picture view of a competent person is a person who is making sure the work is completed safely, which goes beyond just stopping work when an unsafe situation occurs. The competent person understands the work process and how to go about it safely. This is where a JSA is a valuable tool.
The competent person definition includes “predictable” as well as “existing” hazards. It's one thing to learn from our mistakes. It is another thing to avoid making them in the first place. By understanding each step of the job, the competent person can foresee potential hazards. This is also an argument for always having a competent person on the job.
Every employee must be trained to recognize and avoid hazards they could be exposed to. That is one way OSHA 10-hour classes can be helpful. However, employees must also be taught about any hazards not covered in the 10-hour class.
I think anyone working around excavations must attend a good excavation safety competent person course, even if they aren’t going to be designated as the competent person. There are so many benefits it's hard to list them all. Here are just a few.
·?????? They will have an increased awareness of potential hazards, and this is where stop work authority comes into play.
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·?????? They will understand instructions when directed to do work safely. They will better understand the “how” and “why”.
·?????? This will no doubt improve their attitude toward safety.
·?????? This is a critical part of their development process.
I hope this short explanation is helpful, and please feel free to pass it along to others who might be interested.
For more information on this and other excavation safety topics, I invite you to go to www.trenchandexcavationsafety.com
There you’ll find out about my excavation safety reference book which covers the important topics of excavation safety in depth. You can use it as a training guide because at the end of each chapter there is a set of questions to make sure the information has been learned.
With each book order you’ll also receive my booklet on “Training Skills for Safety Professionals.”
Work safely my friends.
Contract Construction Health & Safety Manager Position
3 个月OK. I have Stop Work Authority. It says so in my orientation, in the company Safety Manual, even in tool box talks. Problem is I have "authority" but when I use it for things like Lightning Stand downs, they won't stop. It's like I have $50 in Monopoly money but can't use it to buy lunch. But I do have the money. So the company can boast on its website, job advertisement, company literature that all workers have Stop Work Authority ( also known as Monopoly money).