Risk Decision TreeStop · Make safe · Proceed — for the moment someone says "wait, is this OK?"

How to use. Hand a copy to every student crew lead and every parent volunteer at induction. When something feels off, work down the tree. Three minutes spent answering the questions has prevented every near-miss Daniel has logged in twenty years. The hesitation is the point — the tree gives you permission to pause.

The tree

Q1. Is the hazard happening right now, or about to?

↙ Right nowNot yet ↘

STOP — call "stop the work" out loud. Move everyone clear. Then assess.

No-one in the affected area until Q2 is answered.

Q2. Could it cause injury if uncontrolled?

↓

Q2. (now on both branches) Could uncontrolled exposure cause injury — fall, burn, electrocution, cut, crush, hearing damage, eye injury, asthma flare?

↙ NoMaybe / Yes ↘

PROCEED — note it in the day log so next time the call is faster.

Q3. Is there a control that brings the residual risk to acceptable (matrix score ≤ 9)?

↓

↙ Yes — and we can apply it nowNo / not without escalation ↘

MAKE SAFE — apply control, brief the people affected, document in the day log.

Then proceed. SM updates the SWMS if the control becomes recurring.

STOP & ESCALATE — call PM. PM calls principal / hire / contractor. The work stays stopped until they release it.

Cost of stopping the work is always less than the cost of an incident.

Worked school-theatre examples

Situation	Decision	Why
Year-10 LX crew member spots the safety chain missing from a PAR mid-rig	STOP	Drop hazard during overhead work = matrix 16+. Q1 yes (hazard live), Q2 yes (4kg fixture, students below), Q3 yes-but-only-after-fixture-comes-down. Stop, lower fixture, fit chain, brief crew, resume.
Hazer is filling slowly — running 15 min behind on tech. SM wants to skip the smoke detector liaison call	STOP & ESCALATE	Q3 no — skipping the liaison call means alarm risk + FRV callout (A$1,700 invoice min). Schedule pressure is not a control. Call the venue manager, eat the delay.
One of two spotters needed for the wagon push has gone to the toilet	MAKE SAFE	Q3 yes — pause the push, wait 90 sec, second spotter back. Not a stop; just a wait. Note it: too few crew called for this scene-change?
Director asks for full house lights up for the curtain call at dress — band already in pit	PROCEED	No hazard. Brief band that lights coming up at curtain call. Note in tomorrow's call. Continue.
Pyro device requested for Act 2. No licensed pyrotechnician on site this week	STOP & ESCALATE	Q3 no — pyro without licensed operator is unlawful regardless of school policy. Either swap to digital effect or postpone Act 2 effect until pyrotechnician confirmed.
Costume iron in dressing room — tag is dated 14 months ago	STOP	Out of test cycle (theatre = 6mo, dressing room arguably 12mo, this exceeds both). Pull from use, tag DO-NOT-USE, source a tested replacement.
SM realises one student exit on the SR side is blocked by a costume rack 15 min before house open	MAKE SAFE	Move the rack. Walk every exit before house open is a standing PM rule (see fire-pathway hazard in library).
Director wants the LX programmer to "just try" a 12-hour pre-tech day to catch up	STOP & ESCALATE	Fatigue is a hazard. Q3 no — there is no control for "tired person working at height tomorrow morning". Split the work or cut scope. Bring PM into conversation.

The most important rule

If a student or volunteer calls "stop the work" — the work stops. No questions in the moment. Praise publicly, ask "what did you see?" privately, document, fix. The day you punish a stop-call is the day your safety culture dies.