Situational Awareness During Active Operations

Key Hazards

• Workers entering line-of-fire areas without noticing changing conditions
• Equipment, vehicles, or loads moving unexpectedly
• Distractions from phones, radios, conversations, or task focus
• New hazards created as work progresses
• Poor communication between crews, operators, and pedestrians
• Workers continuing after conditions change or controls fail

2–3 Minute Talk Script

Situational awareness means understanding what is happening around you, what could change, and how those changes could affect safety.

Active operations can change quickly. Equipment moves, people enter the area, materials shift, weather changes, and new hazards appear as the job progresses.

Workers should regularly look up, look around, and reassess the work area instead of focusing only on the immediate task.

Line-of-fire hazards should be identified. Workers should avoid standing where they could be struck, crushed, pinned, sprayed, burned, or exposed if something releases or moves.

Communication matters when conditions change. Operators, spotters, ground crews, pedestrians, and supervisors should know what is moving, what is changing, and when work needs to stop.

Distractions should be controlled. Phones, earbuds, paperwork, and side conversations can reduce awareness around vehicles, equipment, tools, and active work.

Workers should trust stop-work authority. If something feels wrong, unclear, or uncontrolled, the task should pause until the hazard is understood.

Good situational awareness depends on scanning the area, anticipating changes, communicating clearly, staying out of danger zones, and stopping work when conditions are no longer safe.

Safety Reminders

• Look up and scan the work area regularly.
• Watch for changing conditions.
• Stay out of line-of-fire areas.
• Control distractions during active work.
• Communicate changes to nearby workers.
• Use stop-work authority when conditions are unclear.
• Reassess the area after equipment, weather, or work plans change.

Ask the Crew

• What has changed since work started?
• Where are the line-of-fire hazards?
• Who needs to know about current equipment or material movement?
• What distractions are reducing awareness?
• Should work pause until the hazard is better controlled?