Talking to a worker who is ignoring a safety rule
From across the roof you watch a sheet-metal worker unclip his lanyard, step to the edge and fit another length of edge flashing. His crewmate says it is the second time this morning. The foreman is on the ground, and the flashing has to be finished before Thursday's rain.
Stop the work the moment you see it; the conversation comes once the worker is safe, never instead. Then talk in private, ask why and listen: the reason is often something you can fix, such as an anchor in the wrong place or pressure to finish. Fix the cause, get a plain commitment and record it. Letting it pass once tells the whole crew the rule is optional.
- Stop work now, calmly, and get the worker clear using the fall protection plan; do not tell them to move unprotected.
- Talk within the hour, one to one, where the crew cannot hear.
- Say what you saw and ask why, then let them finish.
- Fix what makes the rule hard to follow — anchors, equipment, time pressure — with whoever owns the fall protection plan.
- Ask for a plain commitment and state the consequence under your company's policy. For a subcontractor's worker, involve their foreman; their employer handles discipline.
- Record it the same day: time, place, what you saw, what was agreed and fixed. Written records of discipline for safety breaches help show due diligence.
At the truck
Common mistakes
- Letting it go "just this once" because the job is behind.
- Shouting across the roof, so he has to save face.
- Warning him without fixing the anchor.
Action list
Before your next walk
- Check that every edge task has protection a worker can actually use
- Know your company's disciplinary steps
- Know who owns the fall protection plan
- Agree with each subcontractor how you will handle their workers
- Carry something to write the record on
Check your understanding
The worker says everyone on his crew unclips at that corner. What does that change?
Show the answer
It becomes a crew problem: the setup or the habit makes the rule easy to break, and more people are at risk. Stop that work for everyone, fix the corner and brief the crew with its foreman. His conversation still happens, but the fix matters more.
