Reactive stand-down
Something happened. Here’s how to talk to your crew today.
After an injury, a near miss, or a close call, the crew is already talking. A short, honest stand-down within 24 hours does more than a long one a week later.
First things first
- Take care of anyone who’s hurt. Get medical help.
- Make the area safe and keep it as it is for the investigation.
- Report it the way your company and the project require.
- Then plan the stand-down.
Run it in the next 24 hours
- Decide who needs to hear it. The crew involved at minimum. Often the whole site.
- Get the facts you actually know. What happened, where, and what’s been done since. Separate what you know from what you don’t.
- Stop work and say what happened. In plain words. No names, no blame, no guessing about cause.
- Say what’s changing right now. The immediate controls in place while the investigation runs.
- Ask for help. Where else could this happen on this site? Who’s seen something similar?
- Listen and write it down. Every answer goes on a follow-up form with an owner and a date.
- Tell them what comes next, and when you’ll update them.
What not to do
- Don’t name the person involved, or let others do it.
- Don’t speculate about cause before the investigation is done.
- Don’t make it a lecture about following the rules.
- Don’t share photos or details outside the people who need them.
- Don’t let it be the last time the crew hears about it.
Free template: what to say
Open. “We’re stopping work because [briefly, what happened, no names]. [The person] is [their condition, only what they’ve agreed to share].”
What we know. “Here’s what we know right now: [facts only]. Here’s what we don’t know yet: [open questions]. We’re finding out.”
What’s changing now. “Until we know more, here’s what’s different on this site: [immediate controls].”
Ask. “Where else could this happen here? Who’s seen something like this? I want to hear it, now or after.”
Close. “We’ll update you by [day]. If anything feels off, stop and come get me. Nobody gets in trouble for stopping work to make it safe.”
Need a full kit built around what happened?
Describe the event in a few sentences and we’ll build a de-identified stand-down kit around it: script, toolbox talk, discussion questions, and follow-up form, in English and Spanish, within 24 hours.
A stand-down is not an incident investigation. Run your investigation through your company’s process. This page is general guidance from an independent resource, not legal advice.