Safety Program
No one is asked to accept a hazard the institution has not first tried to remove.
Safety at Monarch Space Systems is a single institutional program covering the people who work here, the systems they build, the hazards they work near, and the customer sites where the work is performed. It is documented, owned at the executive level, and reviewed on a defined cadence.
Program reviewed: September 2026
Safety Policy Statement
Monarch Space Systems, Inc. conducts engineering and research work that involves stored energy, energetic systems, hazardous materials, and — in its planned research direction — radiological materials. The institution accepts that such work is permissible only under controls established in advance, understood by the people performing the work, and verified before the work begins. This policy is issued by the chief executive and applies to every employee, subcontractor, teammate, and visitor without exception.
- No schedule, cost, or competitive objective takes precedence over the safety of a person.
- Every employee, contractor, and visitor holds unconditional stop-work authority for a perceived safety hazard, exercised without penalty or retaliation.
- Hazards are eliminated or engineered out before administrative controls or protective equipment are relied upon.
- Safety obligations flow down to subcontractors and teammates on the same terms we hold ourselves to.
- Incidents and near-misses are reported, investigated to root cause, and closed with verified corrective action.
- Safety performance is reviewed by executive leadership and reported to the board oversight committee.
Stop-Work Authority
Any person may stop any operation at any time for a perceived safety hazard. No approval is required, no justification is required in the moment, and no adverse action may follow. The operation resumes only after the hazard is evaluated, the control is corrected or verified, and the responsible lead documents the disposition. A stop-work call that turns out to be unnecessary is treated as the program working as designed.
Program Architecture
Four domains, one program. Each has a written scope, an accountable owner, and a review cadence.
Worker Safety
The health and safety of every person who works for Monarch Space Systems, in the office, in the shop, in the laboratory, and while traveling or on a customer site. Hazard identification, training, protective equipment, and medical and emergency preparedness are managed as one program with named ownership.
Read the detailEnergetic & Radiological Hazard Control
Controls for the hazard classes our research direction implies: high-voltage and pulsed power, stored energy, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, pressure systems, cryogenics, and chemical handling. Controls are written, reviewed, and approved before the work they govern is authorized.
Read the detailContract & Site Safety
Safety performance while working on customer property. Host-installation safety requirements, site-specific safety plans, mishap reporting, subcontractor safety qualification, and the safety evidence a source-selection team is entitled to request.
Read the detailMission Assurance
System safety, hazard analysis, verification, configuration control, and independent technical review — the discipline that protects the mission and the people who operate it. Documented in the Safety & Mission Assurance framework and its governing charter.
Read the detailSafety Accountability
Board Oversight Committee
Receives safety performance reporting, reviews serious incidents and systemic findings, and confirms that resources committed to safety are adequate.
Chief Executive
Owns the safety policy, signs the annual policy statement, and holds final accountability for safety performance.
Safety Review Board
Reviews hazard analyses, high-consequence operations, mishap investigations, and corrective action closure. Convenes before any first-of-a-kind operation.
Safety & Mission Assurance Function
Maintains the program documentation, training records, hazard analyses, inspection schedule, and metrics. Holds independent reporting access to the chief executive.
Program & Task Leads
Execute job hazard analyses, brief crews, verify controls before work starts, and stop work when conditions change.
Every Employee
Works within approved controls, reports hazards and near-misses, and exercises stop-work authority.
Standards We Align To
The program is written against the standards a NASA prime or source-selection team expects to see. Alignment is stated as alignment; no certification or accreditation is claimed.
OSHA 29 CFR 1910 / 1926
General industry and construction occupational safety and health standards
ISO 45001:2018
Occupational health and safety management systems — plan-do-check-act structure
ANSI/ASSP Z10.0
Occupational health and safety management systems, U.S. consensus standard
NASA NPR 8715.3
NASA General Safety Program Requirements — the baseline for work performed for NASA
NASA NPR 8715.1
NASA Occupational Safety and Health Programs
NASA-STD-8719 series
System safety, pressure systems, and facility safety technical standards
NASA NPR 8621.1
Mishap and close call reporting, investigating, and recordkeeping
FAR 52.236-13 / DFARS 252.223
Accident prevention and safety clauses invoked on applicable federal work
ANSI Z10 / NFPA 70E / ANSI Z136.1
Electrical safe work practices and laser safety consensus standards
Alignment Disclosure
Monarch Space Systems describes its safety practices as aligned with the cited federal regulations, NASA directives, and consensus standards. Alignment is not certification. The institution does not claim OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs status, an ISO 45001 or ISO 14001 certificate, third-party safety accreditation, a facility clearance, or any radioactive materials license unless and until such a status is separately documented. Controls described for future laboratory work are program commitments established in advance of the work they govern, not statements about present facilities, holdings, or operations.
Safety documentation, procedures, training records, and performance data are available to customers and prospective teammates through the confidential engagement pathway or by request through institutional contact.
Questions We Are Asked
Does Monarch Space Systems hold an OSHA VPP status or an ISO 45001 certificate?
No. The institution states alignment with OSHA program elements, ANSI/ASSP Z10.0, and ISO 45001 structure. It does not claim OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs status, an ISO 45001 certificate, or any third-party safety accreditation. Where a solicitation requires certification, the requirement is addressed on its own terms rather than asserted.
Who holds stop-work authority?
Every employee, subcontractor, and visitor. Stop-work authority for a perceived safety hazard is unconditional, requires no prior approval, and cannot be the basis for discipline or retaliation. Work resumes only after the hazard is evaluated and the control is verified.
How is safety handled when performing on a NASA center or other federal installation?
The host installation's safety requirements govern. The institution complies with center-specific safety and health requirements, NPR 8715.3 flow-downs, badging and safety orientation, and the applicable mishap reporting chain, and prepares a site-specific safety plan for the scope of work before mobilization.
How will radiological hazards be controlled?
Through a licensed radiation safety program: a designated Radiation Safety Officer, a radiation safety committee, licensing through the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission or the Ohio Agreement State program before any licensed material is possessed, dose limits and ALARA practice under 10 CFR Part 20, dosimetry, shielding design review, posted and access-controlled areas, and documented waste handling. No licensed material is possessed until the license authorizing it is in place.
Are safety metrics published?
The institution defines and tracks TRIR, DART, lost-time rate, and a set of leading indicators. Rates are reported to the customer and to the board oversight committee. Published figures are limited to periods for which the underlying records are complete; no recordable-rate figures are asserted publicly ahead of that record.
Public References
Related Institutional Programs
Safety, cost and assurance discipline are governed the same way at Monarch Space Systems: written policy, named accountability, defined thresholds, and escalation that does not depend on anyone's comfort. See the institutional cost management program, the procurement and supply chain program, mission assurance, and emergency preparedness and incident response.