Stop Work

The company I work for has distributed a "Stop Work Authority" card to all employees. The aim? To give everyone the authority to stop unsafe behaviour when they see it. And being charged with that responsibility also tends to make one more aware of looking out for unsafe behaviour. And there is no shortage of it in the real world, let alone at work. Yesterday, I watched in horror as a man climbed a ladder to an awning, using one hand to hold on to the rungs, and the other to hold onto a tool box (a bit like a drill box only bigger) which was so full it was not closing properly. At one point he was leaning backwards, no hands on the ladder, trying to close the tool box enough to be able to hold it in one hand. So, was this- or the guy on the scaffoding half way up the church, swinging out over the side (to test its strength?) without a safety harness - more chilling? In both instances I debated stopping and saying something to them but didn't - because (a) I was not sure what their reaction would be and (b) the possibility of a defensive, cross person doing unsafe behaviour could be more of an accident in the making.