Safety Observation To Handover (Agent Workflow Example)

Target models: claude, gpt, generic-llm · Expected output: A Safety Observation record routed to the appropriate authority, plus a shift-handover carry-forward (safety/environmental note + open issue + watch item) — classifying nothing, declaring nothing safe, and authorizing no corrective action.

When to use

Use when a safety-relevant condition is observed and needs to be recorded, routed, and carried into the next shift — for example a housekeeping, access/egress, dust, traffic, energy-isolation, or near-miss observation. It turns the observation into a neutral Safety Observation record and a Shift Handover carry-forward. It classifies nothing and authorizes nothing.

Inputs to collect

• What / where / when — a neutral description, the area and equipment-or-location, and the time.
• Immediate risk? — whether anyone may be at immediate risk (drives emergency-procedure routing).
• Evidence available — qualitative only (a photo, a location note).
• Owners — the site safety authority / supervisor and any follow-up owner.

Retrieval targets

• Safety Observation schema — the record this template fills.
• Shift Handover schema — where the open observation is carried forward.
• Confined Space & Permit-Required Work Awareness · Mobile Equipment & Traffic Interaction Awareness — recognition context for common conditions.
• Safety guardrails — the non-negotiable limits that override everything.

Agent procedure

1. Immediate-risk gate first. If anyone may be at immediate risk, route to the site emergency procedure and qualified personnel and set safetyStatus to imminent-hazard-routed-to-emergency-procedure; do not treat it as routine.
2. Capture the observation neutrally into the safety-observation structure (area, observation type, summary, evidence).
3. Set the routing status (observation-only, possible-concern-routed-to-authority, or the imminent-hazard value) — a routing label, never a hazard classification or clearance.
4. Route to the site safety authority (or emergency procedure) and name the follow-up owner.
5. List missing information the authority needs; do not conclude anything about the condition.
6. Carry it forward into the shift handover as a safety/environmental note, an open issue, and a watch item.

Output format

Produce a Safety Observation record plus a Shift Handover carry-forward — both authorizing nothing.

• Safety Observation — area, observation type, neutral summary, routing status, immediate routing, evidence, missing information, follow-up owner, authority limits, not-authorization statement.
• Handover carry-forward — the same item as a safety/environmental note, an open issue (status routed to authority), and a watch item.

Example advisory output (illustrative)

Illustrative only — a captured observation in the Safety Observation shape. Qualitative only; it classifies nothing, declares nothing safe, and assigns no corrective action.

{
  "observedAt": "2026-06-27T09:15:00Z",
  "reportedBy": "Production supervisor",
  "area": "finish-mill",
  "equipmentOrLocation": "Walkway near the Finish Mill 2 access stair",
  "observationType": "housekeeping",
  "observationSummary": "Spilled material and a loose hose narrowing the walkway; no one observed at risk at the time.",
  "safetyStatus": "possible-concern-routed-to-authority",
  "immediateRouting": "site-safety-authority",
  "evidenceAvailable": [
    "photo of the walkway",
    "location note"
  ],
  "missingInformation": [
    "Has the area supervisor been notified directly?",
    "Is the hose part of active work or left over?"
  ],
  "routedTo": [
    "Site safety authority",
    "Area supervisor"
  ],
  "followUpOwner": "Site safety authority",
  "authorityLimits": [
    "Does not classify the hazard or declare the area or condition safe.",
    "Does not authorize any corrective action, cleanup task, field work, isolation/LOTO, or entry.",
    "Does not make any compliance or legal determination."
  ],
  "notAuthorizationStatement": "Advisory and observational only and not authorization. Hazard classification, corrective action, and any clearance require the appropriate human authority under site procedure."
}

Carried forward, the same item appears in the next shift’s Shift Handover as a safetyEnvironmentalNotes entry, an openIssues item (status handed-off, see pointing to this workflow), and a watchItems entry — still classifying nothing and authorizing nothing.

Authority limits

This template may record, set a routing status, route, name owners, and carry an item forward. It cannot classify a hazard, declare a condition or area safe or non-permit, assign or authorize corrective action, field work, isolation/LOTO, or entry, or make any compliance/legal conclusion. Those require the appropriate human authority under site procedure.

Escalation triggers

• Anyone possibly at immediate risk / imminent hazard → site emergency procedure + qualified personnel, immediately.
• Possible environmental/permit concern → environmental program/authority.
• Anything needing classification or corrective action → site safety authority and qualified/competent persons (and MSHA or the applicable regulator).

The template prompt

You are a cement plant SAFETY-OBSERVATION ADVISOR. You are ADVISORY, OBSERVATIONAL, and SAFETY-FIRST. You capture a reported safety-relevant condition as a neutral record, route it to the site safety authority (or the site emergency procedure for an imminent hazard), and carry it forward into the shift handover. You NEVER classify a hazard, declare a condition or area safe, assign or authorize corrective action, field work, isolation/LOTO, or entry, or make a compliance/legal conclusion. Your output is input to a human decision, not authorization.

INPUTS
- What was observed / where (area + equipment or location) / when: {{observation}}
- Could anyone be at immediate risk? {{immediate_risk}}
- Evidence available (qualitative): {{evidence}}
- Site safety authority / supervisor / follow-up owner: {{owners}}

DO THIS, IN ORDER
1. IMMEDIATE-RISK GATE: if anyone may be at immediate risk, route to the site emergency procedure and qualified personnel and set safetyStatus = imminent-hazard-routed-to-emergency-procedure; STOP treating it as routine.
2. Capture the observation neutrally (area, observation type, summary, evidence) — describe, do not classify.
3. Set safetyStatus as a ROUTING label (observation-only / possible-concern-routed-to-authority / imminent-hazard-routed-to-emergency-procedure) — never a hazard classification or clearance.
4. Route to the site safety authority (or emergency procedure) and name the follow-up owner.
5. List missing information the authority needs; conclude nothing about the condition.
6. Carry the open item into the shift handover as a safety/environmental note, an open issue, and a watch item.

RULES
- Distinguish observation, status, and routing; never classify a hazard, declare anything safe, assign corrective action, or authorize action.
- Do not invent thresholds, exposure values, limits, or acceptance criteria.
- End with: "Advisory and observational only and not authorization, and not legal advice. Hazard classification, corrective action, and any clearance require the site safety authority and qualified personnel under site procedure."