Protecting People, Property, and the Environment

This policy outlines the procedures for issuing, managing, and lifting stop-work orders at GML Contractors Ltd. following a critical incident. Its purpose is to ensure that all operations are safely and promptly suspended in response to serious events and that no work resumes until authorized by the appropriate management personnel.

🔴 1. Stop-Work Following a Critical Incident

A stop-work order may be verbal or written, issued by any employee, supervisor, or manager upon the occurrence or identification of a critical incident. These incidents include but are not limited to:

• Serious injury or fatality

• Significant structural damage

• Major environmental release or loss

• Any event with potential to cause severe harm

All critical equipment must be safely shut down in accordance with site-specific emergency response procedures, with no increased risk to personnel or property.

📢 2. Notification Process

Any employee who discovers a critical incident must:

• Immediately notify their Supervisor or Manager

• Activate the appropriate Emergency Response Procedures (ERP)

• Provide detailed information about the location and nature of the incident

Managers and Supervisors must:

• Identify if other simultaneous operations (on-site or at other GML sites) are at risk

• Notify the HSE Manager or HSE Department of the stop-work order

• Communicate promptly with all affected personnel

🚨 3. Managing the Critical Incident

GML’s Emergency Management Team will respond in alignment with our official Emergency Response Plan (ERP). Their responsibilities include:

• Coordinating emergency actions

• Ensuring site safety

• Liaising with external emergency services if required

• Beginning initial incident documentation and reporting

🔎 4. Investigation of the Critical Incident

All stop-work orders must be followed by a formal investigation to:

• Determine root cause(s) of the incident

• Identify similar or connected operations that may be affected

• Recommend corrective and preventive actions

• Propose potential system or procedural changes to reduce recurrence

✅ 5. Resumption of Work

Work shall not resume until a formal restart notice is issued by an authorized Supervisor, Manager, or HSE Officer. This includes:

• Verifying that the cause of the critical incident has been resolved

• Ensuring no further threat exists

• Confirming that corrective actions are implemented

🔁 Verbal restart notices must be followed up by written documentation, stating:

• The time and date the stop-work order was lifted

• A summary of the incident control and risk mitigation measures taken

🧠 6. Lessons Learned & Communication

After the investigation:

• A non-personal summary of the incident will be compiled, including:

  • Incident description

  • Root cause(s)

  • Corrective and preventive actions taken

  • Key lessons learned

• An HSE Alert will be issued to all GML employees and relevant contractors, to ensure awareness and prevent future occurrences.

🛡️ GML’s Commitment

At GML Contractors Ltd., safety is a shared responsibility. Every team member has the right and obligation to stop work if unsafe conditions are observed. This policy is an extension of our commitment to zero harm, accountability, and continuous improvement in all that we do.