The Power of Speaking Up

Every workplace has safety procedures. Every site has risk assessments, training, and rules designed to prevent harm.

But when something doesn't feel right, would everyone feel confident enough to stop the job?

That question sits at the heart of CTB Group's STOP for Safety campaign, which empowers every employee to speak up, stop work and raise concerns before an incident occurs.

Recently, that message was reinforced through Michael's Story, a workplace safety programme developed by Louise Adamson in memory of her brother Michael, who lost his life in a workplace accident. Designed to encourage reflection and open conversations about safety, the initiative prompted teams across CTB to consider how everyday decisions, behaviours and conversations help keep people safe.

Michael's Story

Michael was a young electrician with his career ahead of him. In 2005, while working on a construction site, he was fatally electrocuted after coming into contact with a live cable that should have been isolated.

The investigation that followed revealed that Michael's death was not the result of a single mistake. A series of failures had aligned: plans changed, communication broke down, time pressures influenced decisions, and opportunities to identify and report risks were missed. Each issue may have seemed small in isolation, but together they had devastating consequences.

Following Michael's death, his sister Louise Adamson dedicated herself to sharing his story with organisations across the UK, including CTB Group. Today, Michael's Story helps organisations create open conversations about safety, encouraging people to question assumptions, challenge unsafe situations and learn from the decisions that can ultimately save lives.

Keeping the Conversation Going

The live session was followed by a structured programme of team discussions designed to reinforce the learning and encourage reflection across CTB Group.

Managers and supervisors led a series of team briefings built around seven Safety Shorts videos, each exploring a different aspect of the decisions and circumstances that contributed to Michael's death. Supported by facilitator guidance and discussion questions, every team had the opportunity to reflect on how similar challenges could arise in their own working environments.

The Questions That Matter

Throughout the programme, teams were encouraged to explore the decisions and behaviours that influence safety long before an incident occurs.

Could changing work plans introduce new risks? Are near misses always reported? Does time pressure ever influence decision-making? Would everyone feel confident challenging an unsafe situation, regardless of their role or experience?

There weren't always simple answers. The value came from creating space for open discussion, sharing different perspectives and encouraging teams to think critically about how safety is managed in their own working environments.

For CTB Group, those conversations reinforce an important principle: maintaining a safe workplace depends on creating and maintaining an environment where everyone is empowered to speak up and stop if they have concerns.  

Victoria Hill, Vice President, Safety & ESG at Cooper Turner Beck reflects on the programme and the impact sharing Michael's story has had across the group:

Michael’s Story was such an impactful way for us to launch our new STOP campaign at CTB. Louise’s incredible bravery in telling her wee brother’s story conveys the needlessness of his death and the devastation caused by his loss.  Almost 200 CTB employees stopped work for an hour to attend the live sessions and hundreds more attended the facilitated sessions throughout May and June. The employee feedback has been excellent and has overwhelmingly shown that our teams understand the importance of safety and that Michael’s Story made them think differently about their own role in maintaining a safe workplace. Louise is an inspiration and we are hugely grateful to have been able to work with her on this campaign.

Knowing When to STOP

The themes explored throughout Michael's Story closely reflect the message behind CTB Group's STOP for Safety campaign.

STOP for Safety encourages every employee to pause work if they believe something isn't safe, raise their concerns and ensure the appropriate action is taken before work continues. Whether it's a change in the scope of work, uncertainty around a process, missing information or an unexpected hazard, everyone has both the authority and the responsibility to speak up.

Confidence to speak up is built through open conversations, shared learning and a workplace culture where raising a concern is recognised as the right thing to do. By encouraging teams to reflect on real events and discuss how they would respond in similar situations, Michael's Story is helping to reinforce those behaviours across the Group.

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