Stop Work and Say Why

For the person who can stop unsafe work. You are in front of work about to start, or already running, and you decide whether it stops, record why and tell the right people.

What you will be able to do

• Name the law behind a stop, the nation where it applies and whether it is in force.
• Check which certificates and competent people are on site today, and record anyone who is missing.
• Compare a method statement with the work in front of you and name the first difference that matters.
• Name the people who would be exposed if the work ran for another ten minutes.
• Tell the right people, isolate the power, plant or access, and record what is still running.

What the chapters cover

• The legal duty behind a stop
• Checking certificates and competent people on site
• Comparing the work with the method statement
• Stopping, delaying the start or continuing with a named control
• The radio call, the log entry and the instruction to the contractor
• Restarting work, or keeping it stopped

Thirteen chapters follow the job in order, with thirteen quick-reference cards you may copy for use at your own event. Worked examples are composite illustrations, not accounts of real events.

Operational titles are for the person doing the job at one post, door, desk or location on the day. OTAS Live publishes 30 handbooks across ten areas of event work, each at Operational, Tactical and Strategic level.

UK law, nation by nation

Law as checked in September 2026, with England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland named separately.