RWE Assessment Tests

RWE Online Analytics Test: Free Practice Questions (2026) Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a ground handling agent at an airport. Fog has delayed several flights and the desk is surrounded by passengers. You have been on your feet for six hours. A passenger who has missed a connection tells you, in front of the crowd, that you are incompetent and have ruined his trip. He is not going to make the last flight tonight. Your duty supervisor is nearby. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Acknowledge that missing the connection is a serious problem for him, tell him what tonight's and tomorrow's options actually are, and start arranging whichever he chooses.
   2. Tell him there is nothing you can do tonight and ask him to step aside so you can help the other passengers who are waiting.
   3. Tell him the delays are caused by fog rather than by anything the ground staff have done, and ask him not to speak to you like that in front of other passengers.
   4. Apologise and ask your duty supervisor to come and take over the conversation, then move on to the next passenger in the queue.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Acknowledge that missing the connection is a serious problem for him, tell him what tonight's and tomorrow's options actually are, and start arranging whichever he chooses.

   Least effective: B. Tell him there is nothing you can do tonight and ask him to step aside so you can help the other passengers who are waiting.

   B: Ignores the customer's actual need: it is not true that nothing can be done, since tomorrow's flights and overnight arrangements exist, and it dismisses a stranded passenger in order to clear him from the desk.

   C: Personalises the conflict: it is accurate and it answers his insult instead of his missed connection, in front of an audience that will take sides.

   D: Passes responsibility to others: it hands off a passenger you are able to rebook, and takes a supervisor off the floor during a major disruption when you can resolve it yourself.

   The most effective response is to acknowledge that missing the connection is a serious problem for him, tell him what tonight’s and tomorrow’s options actually are, and start arranging whichever he chooses: he is stranded overnight, so what he needs is the real list and someone starting on it, and giving him that answers the complaint without engaging the insult. It beats telling him the delays are caused by fog and asking him not to speak to you like that, because correcting his manner, however fairly, argues with his tone in front of a crowd and leaves him no closer to a flight. It beats asking your duty supervisor to come and take over the conversation, because that confirms you could not help and removes a supervisor from the floor during a disruption. The least effective response is telling him there is nothing you can do tonight and asking him to step aside: it tells a stranded passenger something that is not true, and moves him aside to clear the desk. That is worse than correcting his manner, which at least engages, and worse than fetching the supervisor, which at least routes him to help. The principle: under personal criticism, answer the problem rather than the tone, and give the person the concrete options that still exist.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are a service desk analyst at an IT support provider. A system outage has left the queue at four times its usual length and you have worked through your break. Your team leader now tells you that a call you handled yesterday has been complained about, and asks you to write it up by the end of the day. You believe you handled the call correctly. Three hours of your shift remain and the queue is still growing. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Write the complaint response first while the call is fresh in your mind, so it is done properly, and return to the queue once your team leader has what she asked for.
   2. Work the queue for the rest of your shift and write the complaint response at home this evening, so that neither the customers waiting nor your team leader's deadline is let down.
   3. Get on with both as best you can without raising it, since the outage is everyone's problem today and saying you cannot manage would not look good while the whole team is under pressure.
   4. Tell your team leader the queue has quadrupled, ask whether the write-up can wait until tomorrow or be covered by someone else, and keep working the queue while she decides.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell your team leader the queue has quadrupled, ask whether the write-up can wait until tomorrow or be covered by someone else, and keep working the queue while she decides.

   Least effective: C. Get on with both as best you can without raising it, since the outage is everyone's problem today and saying you cannot manage would not look good while the whole team is under pressure.

   A: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: it assumes the write-up must come first because she asked for it today, when she does not know the queue has quadrupled. The assumption is never tested with the one person who could rebalance it.

   B: Hides the strain until failure: it meets both demands by absorbing the overload privately, so your team leader never learns the shift was undeliverable and plans the next one the same way.

   C: Avoids the difficult conversation: it stays silent about a workload that cannot be delivered, for fear of how it looks. Your team leader is the only person who can rebalance it, and she is the one person not told.

   The most effective response is to tell your team leader the queue has quadrupled and ask whether the write-up can wait until tomorrow or be covered by someone else, while you keep working the queue: she set that deadline without knowing the queue had quadrupled, so the fact she is missing is the one worth giving her, and she is the only person who can rebalance the two. Continuing to work while she decides means nothing stalls. It beats writing the complaint response first while the call is fresh, because that treats the order of the two tasks as already settled when the person who set it does not have the information, and the queue pays for the assumption. It beats working the queue and writing the response at home this evening, because taking the work home makes the shift look deliverable when it was not, so the same pressure is scheduled again next time. The least effective response is getting on with both as best you can without raising it: it is the only response that neither raises the conflict nor resolves it, and the reason given is how it might look rather than anything about the work. That leaves both jobs half done and your team leader unaware. The principle: when the workload you have been given cannot be delivered, give the person who set it the fact they are missing, and keep working while they decide.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a despatcher for an emergency plumbing service. At 4pm three calls are open. A tenant reports water coming through a ceiling light fitting. A restaurant has a blocked drain and cannot serve food. And a regular commercial client wants a quote for planned work by tomorrow. You have one engineer free now and another finishing at 5pm. The quote takes twenty minutes to prepare. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Send the free engineer to the restaurant since it cannot trade and is losing money by the hour, and put the ceiling leak to the engineer finishing at 5pm.
   2. Send the free engineer to the water coming through the light fitting, put the restaurant to the engineer finishing at 5pm, and prepare the quote after both are despatched.
   3. Advise the tenant to switch off the electricity and wait until an engineer is free tomorrow morning, and send the free engineer to the restaurant.
   4. Prepare the quote first since it is quick and the client is waiting on it, then despatch the free engineer to whichever of the two jobs sounds more serious.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Send the free engineer to the water coming through the light fitting, put the restaurant to the engineer finishing at 5pm, and prepare the quote after both are despatched.

   Least effective: C. Advise the tenant to switch off the electricity and wait until an engineer is free tomorrow morning, and send the free engineer to the restaurant.

   A: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: lost trade is expensive and water through a light fitting is an electrical risk to the people in the property, which is a different order of urgency from money.

   C: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: it leaves water entering an electrical fitting overnight with a tenant told to manage it alone, when an engineer is free now. Deferring a live electrical hazard is the worst of the four.

   D: Delays the decision: twenty minutes of quoting for work due tomorrow is placed ahead of two live emergencies, one of them an electrical hazard.

   The most effective response is to send the free engineer to the water coming through the light fitting, put the restaurant to the engineer finishing at 5pm, and prepare the quote once both are despatched: water entering a light fitting is an electrical hazard to the people in the property, so it takes the engineer who is free now; the restaurant is losing trade but is not dangerous; and a quote for tomorrow can wait. It beats sending the free engineer to the restaurant because it cannot trade, since that ranks lost revenue above an electrical risk to occupants. It beats preparing the quote first because it is quick and the client is waiting, because twenty minutes of paperwork for tomorrow should not precede two live emergencies. The least effective response is telling the tenant to switch off the electricity and wait until tomorrow morning: it leaves water running into an electrical fitting overnight while a free engineer goes to a blocked drain. That is worse than the other two, which misrank the jobs but still send someone to the leak today. The principle: rank by harm to people first, then by cost, and do the paperwork once the emergencies are moving.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a lifeguard at a leisure centre, and the only lifeguard on poolside while a children’s swimming lesson is in the water; centre rules require a qualified lifeguard on poolside whenever the pool is in use. Through the corridor window you notice that a delivery of boxed stock has been left stacked against the fire exit in the public corridor. Nobody else seems to have noticed, and the lesson runs for another forty minutes. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Slip out to move the boxes yourself while the instructor is in the water with the class, reasoning that the corridor is a short walk away and you will only be gone a few minutes.
   2. Mention the boxes to the receptionist next time she passes poolside, and leave it with her to find whoever handles deliveries, since moving stock is not something you can deal with mid-session.
   3. Plan to move the boxes yourself as soon as the lesson finishes in forty minutes, keeping an eye on the corridor meanwhile, so the exit is dealt with without the pool ever being left unattended.
   4. Stay on poolside, phone the duty manager at once to report the blocked fire exit, and check for yourself when the lesson ends that it has been cleared.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Stay on poolside, phone the duty manager at once to report the blocked fire exit, and check for yourself when the lesson ends that it has been cleared.

   Least effective: A. Slip out to move the boxes yourself while the instructor is in the water with the class, reasoning that the corridor is a short walk away and you will only be gone a few minutes.

   A: Abandons a safety-critical post: leaving children swimming with no lifeguard on poolside breaks the one rule that exists to prevent a drowning, and trades that protection for a corridor errand someone else could do, a reckless breach of your own committed duty rather than a quick favour.

   B: Passes responsibility to others: a casual mention whenever the receptionist happens to pass carries no urgency and no follow-up, so the fire exit stays blocked for as long as the message takes to wander through the building; you spotted the hazard, but nobody owns it.

   C: Delays the decision: it protects the pool, but it accepts a blocked fire exit in a public corridor for another forty minutes when a single phone call could have it cleared far sooner. Watching a hazard is not the same as acting on it.

   The most effective response is to stay on poolside, phone the duty manager at once, and check yourself when the lesson ends that the exit has been cleared: it treats both duties as real, so the pool keeps its lifeguard, the hazard reaches someone who can have it moved, and you verify the outcome rather than assuming the report worked. It beats mentioning the boxes to the receptionist when she next passes, because that hands the hazard on without urgency or follow-up, so a blocked fire exit waits on a passing conversation and nobody is accountable for the result. It beats planning to move them yourself once the lesson finishes, because that leaves the exit blocked for the full forty minutes for the sake of handling it personally, when reporting it now clears it sooner at no cost to the pool. The least effective response is slipping out to move the boxes while the instructor is in the water: unlike telling the receptionist, which keeps the required cover in place while telling someone, and unlike waiting until the lesson ends, which keeps the cover and eventually acts, it removes the only lifeguard from a pool with children in the water. It is the one response that creates a graver risk than the one it fixes, and a breach of the centre’s own safety rule. The principle: taking ownership of a problem you spot means making sure it gets fixed, not doing it yourself at any price; never abandon a safety- critical commitment to run someone else’s errand.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a ward administrator at a veterinary hospital. At 4pm three things need you. A dog is due to be collected at 4.30 and its discharge notes are not written, which takes fifteen minutes. A referring vet has rung twice for an update on a case and is waiting for a call back. And the practice manager wants the month-end invoicing reconciled tonight, which takes two hours. You finish at 7pm. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ring the referring vet first since he has already rung twice, then write the discharge notes and start the invoicing.
   2. Start the month-end invoicing since it is the longest job and is wanted tonight, and fit the discharge notes and the call around it as the evening goes on.
   3. Send the dog home at 4.30 without written discharge notes and telephone the owner with the aftercare instructions later in the evening once the invoicing is done.
   4. Write the discharge notes for the 4.30 collection, ring the referring vet back, then spend the rest of the evening on the invoicing.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Write the discharge notes for the 4.30 collection, ring the referring vet back, then spend the rest of the evening on the invoicing.

   Least effective: C. Send the dog home at 4.30 without written discharge notes and telephone the owner with the aftercare instructions later in the evening once the invoicing is done.

   A: Delays the decision: the call has no fixed time and the collection is at 4.30. Answering by who has waited longest rather than by when something is needed risks the owner arriving to notes that are not written.

   B: Splits effort so nothing finishes: two hours of invoicing has three hours of room, and starting it first leaves a fifteen-minute task with a 4.30 deadline to be squeezed.

   C: Acts recklessly with a clinical handover: discharge notes are how an owner knows about medication and aftercare, and sending an animal home without them, on a promise to ring later, risks the dog's recovery.

   The most effective response is to write the discharge notes for the 4.30 collection, ring the referring vet back, then spend the rest of the evening on the invoicing: the collection is fixed and only fifteen minutes away, the vet’s call has no fixed time but has already waited twice, and two hours of invoicing fits comfortably in the three hours left. Sequencing by deadline gets all three done. It beats ringing the referring vet first because he has already rung twice, since that risks an owner arriving to notes that do not exist. It beats starting the month-end invoicing as the longest job wanted tonight, because that squeezes the one task with a hard time on it. The least effective response is sending the dog home without written discharge notes and telephoning the aftercare later: it discharges an animal without written instructions to protect a paperwork deadline. That is worse than the other two, which order the work badly but complete it properly. The principle: do the short task with the fixed clinical deadline first, then the waiting person, then the long job that fits the remaining time.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are an account handler at an insurance brokers. You and your colleague Priti share a book of commercial clients. She has twice contacted clients you look after without telling you, and one client has now asked which of you is actually handling his renewal. Renewals for eight of these clients fall in the next three weeks. Priti is senior to you but not your manager. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Email the client to confirm that you are his handler and copy Priti in, so that the position is clear to everyone at the same time.
   2. Speak to Priti this week, agree which of you handles which clients through the renewal period, and confirm it to the client who asked.
   3. Raise it with your manager, explaining that Priti has been contacting your clients and that one has now questioned who is handling his renewal.
   4. Leave it, since Priti is senior and challenging her could be awkward, and simply work round any duplication as the eight renewals come up.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Speak to Priti this week, agree which of you handles which clients through the renewal period, and confirm it to the client who asked.

   Least effective: D. Leave it, since Priti is senior and challenging her could be awkward, and simply work round any duplication as the eight renewals come up.

   A: Personalises the conflict: it settles the question by staking a claim in front of the client, which makes an internal muddle visible to the customer and puts Priti on the spot publicly.

   C: Escalates prematurely: Priti has not been told there is a problem, and the first she would hear of it is from a manager, over something two colleagues could settle before the renewals start.

   D: Avoids the difficult conversation: it accepts that clients will keep receiving conflicting contact through eight renewals, because raising it with a senior colleague feels uncomfortable. The client's confusion is left in place deliberately.

   The most effective response is to speak to Priti this week, agree which of you handles which clients through the renewal period, and confirm it to the client who asked: eight renewals are coming, a client has already noticed the confusion, and the fix is an agreement between two people about who handles what. Confirming it afterwards closes the loop cleanly. It beats raising it with your manager and explaining that she has been contacting your clients, because she has never been told this is causing a problem, and going to a manager first turns a workable conversation into a complaint about a senior colleague. It beats emailing the client to confirm you are his handler and copying her in, because settling it in front of the customer exposes the muddle rather than resolving it. The least effective response is leaving it and working round the duplication because challenging her would be awkward: it lets clients receive conflicting contact through eight renewals, so the problem the client has already flagged is knowingly allowed to continue. That is worse than the other two, which raise it in the wrong place but do raise it. The principle: agree the working boundary directly with the colleague, then tell the client, before the busy period makes it worse.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a receptionist at a medical centre, sharing the front desk with your colleague Daniel. You disagree about how patient booking notes should be handed over between shifts, and mistakes have crept in from both sides. This morning Daniel posted in the team messaging channel that he is “tired of clearing up” your booking errors, naming two recent examples. Colleagues have seen the message, and you feel it is unfair. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Let the message go unanswered and quietly double-check your own bookings from now on, hoping the friction fades once Daniel has fewer errors to point to.
   2. Conclude that Daniel has a problem with you personally and ask the practice manager to reorganise the rota so the two of you rarely share the desk.
   3. Ask Daniel to talk privately, say the public post felt unfair, and suggest going through the recent mistakes together to agree one clear handover routine for both of you.
   4. Reply in the team messaging channel with a list of Daniel's own recent booking mistakes, so colleagues can see that the errors have come from both sides.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Ask Daniel to talk privately, say the public post felt unfair, and suggest going through the recent mistakes together to agree one clear handover routine for both of you.

   Least effective: D. Reply in the team messaging channel with a list of Daniel's own recent booking mistakes, so colleagues can see that the errors have come from both sides.

   A: Avoids the difficult conversation: quietly tightening your own bookings addresses only half the problem. The disputed handover routine and the public accusation are left untouched, so the friction and the mistakes are likely to continue.

   B: Personalises the conflict: treating a fixable disagreement about the handover routine as a clash of personalities asks the manager to separate you instead of solving anything, and leaves the underlying process producing mistakes for whoever shares the desk.

   D: Retaliates publicly: answering a public accusation with a public counter-attack escalates the conflict in front of the whole team and turns a solvable process disagreement into a personal feud. That is a category failure, not a defensible reply.

   The most effective response is to ask Daniel to talk privately and agree one clear handover routine: it takes the dispute out of the public channel, names the impact honestly, and moves both of you toward the real fix while preserving the working relationship. It beats leaving the message unanswered and quietly double-checking your own bookings, because that leaves both the disputed routine and the public accusation unaddressed, so the mistakes and the resentment are likely to continue. It beats asking the practice manager to reorganise the rota, because that treats a solvable process disagreement as a personality clash and asks for the two of you to be separated, fixing nothing for whoever staffs the desk next. The least effective response is replying in the team channel with a list of Daniel’s own mistakes: unlike saying nothing, which at least does no further damage, and unlike going to the practice manager, which at least involves someone who could help, it escalates the conflict publicly and converts a disagreement about process into a personal feud in front of the team. The principle: take conflict out of public view, address the issue rather than the person, and fix the process that is generating the friction.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a supervisor in a commercial cleaning team working in an office building overnight. One of your team, Kasia, is new and is spending far too long on each room; at the current rate the third floor will not be finished before the building opens at 7am. It is 3am. Two other cleaners have finished their floors. Your contract manager is contactable by phone. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Move the two cleaners who have finished onto the third floor without saying anything to Kasia, so the floor is completed and she is not made to feel she is failing.
   2. Let the floor run short and leave a note for the day team explaining which rooms were not done, since Kasia is new and pushing her would be unfair.
   3. Ring the contract manager to report that the third floor will not be finished on time because a new cleaner is working too slowly.
   4. Tell Kasia where she is against the 7am deadline, show her a faster way through a room, and move the two finished cleaners onto the third floor with her.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell Kasia where she is against the 7am deadline, show her a faster way through a room, and move the two finished cleaners onto the third floor with her.

   Least effective: B. Let the floor run short and leave a note for the day team explaining which rooms were not done, since Kasia is new and pushing her would be unfair.

   A: Prioritises harmony over honesty: it finishes the floor and leaves Kasia working at the same rate tomorrow night, because nobody has told her what pace the contract needs.

   B: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: it decides at 3am to miss a contractual deadline with four hours and two free cleaners available, and leaves the client's building part-cleaned with a note. Choosing the failure is worse than mishandling the fix.

   C: Escalates prematurely: there are four hours, two cleaners free and a fix within your reach as supervisor. Reporting a new starter before trying the obvious redeployment makes a performance case out of a training gap.

   The most effective response is to tell Kasia where she is against the 7am deadline, show her a faster way through a room, and move the two finished cleaners onto the third floor with her: there are four hours, two people free and a new colleague who does not yet know the pace the contract needs, so redeploying and coaching at once fixes tonight and tomorrow. It beats moving the two finished cleaners across without saying anything to her, because that gets the floor done and leaves her working at the same rate, so the same shortfall recurs. It beats ringing the contract manager to report that a new cleaner is working too slowly, because the fix is within your authority as supervisor and there is ample time, so reporting a new starter first turns training into a performance issue. The least effective response is letting the floor run short and leaving a note for the day team: it accepts a missed contractual deadline at 3am, with four hours and two idle cleaners available. That is worse than the other two, which both try to make the deadline. The principle: measure against the deadline, tell the person who is behind, and move the resource you already have.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a duty officer at a student halls of residence. A student tells you the fire door on the third floor stairwell has been propped open with a fire extinguisher for the past few days. You check and it is. The building has three hundred residents. Your accommodation manager is on call but off site, and the maintenance team start at 8am tomorrow. It is 9pm. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Close the fire door and return the extinguisher to its bracket now, then ring the accommodation manager to report that it has been propped for days.
   2. Log the issue for the maintenance team to deal with when they start at 8am tomorrow, and note that it has apparently been propped for several days.
   3. Put a notice on the door asking residents not to prop it open, and report it to the accommodation manager in the morning.
   4. Leave it until morning, since the door has apparently been propped for several days without incident and moving the extinguisher at night might leave it where residents cannot find it.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Close the fire door and return the extinguisher to its bracket now, then ring the accommodation manager to report that it has been propped for days.

   Least effective: D. Leave it until morning, since the door has apparently been propped for several days without incident and moving the extinguisher at night might leave it where residents cannot find it.

   B: Delays the decision: the log is right for the repair and wrong for tonight. Three hundred residents sleep behind a fire door that cannot close.

   C: Passes responsibility to residents: a notice asks three hundred people to maintain a fire precaution, when closing the door yourself takes seconds and removes the risk outright.

   D: Stays silent about a known fire risk: a fire door that cannot close and an extinguisher out of its bracket are two failures at once, above three hundred sleeping residents, and the justification is that nothing has happened yet.

   The most effective response is to close the fire door and return the extinguisher to its bracket now, then ring the accommodation manager to report that it has been propped for days: those two actions remove two fire safety failures in seconds, and the pattern is a separate problem she needs tonight because it suggests the door will simply be propped again. It beats putting a notice on the door asking residents not to prop it, because that delegates a fire precaution to three hundred residents when you can restore it yourself immediately. It beats logging the issue for the maintenance team at 8am, because that addresses the repair and leaves the building unsafe overnight. The least effective response is leaving it until morning because nothing has gone wrong so far: it leaves a fire door incapable of closing and an extinguisher out of its bracket above three hundred sleeping residents. That is worse than the maintenance log and the notice, which are inadequate but reduce or record the risk. The principle: restore the safety measure yourself when you can do it in seconds, then report the pattern to whoever can stop it recurring.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a duty assistant at a gym. A member tells you the emergency stop cord on one of the treadmills does not seem to work. You test it and the belt does not stop. The gym is busy, six other treadmills are working, and the maintenance contractor is not on site. Your duty manager is in the building and reachable on the radio. There is no out-of-order signage kept on the gym floor. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Note the fault in the maintenance logbook so it is picked up at the contractor's next scheduled visit, and mention it to your duty manager at the end of your shift.
    2. Ring the maintenance contractor yourself to ask how soon someone can attend and what should be done with the treadmill until then.
    3. Take the treadmill out of use immediately, make it obvious it must not be used, and radio your duty manager straight away so she can arrange the repair and proper signage.
    4. Leave the treadmill in use, since the belt can still be stopped with the console button and six other treadmills are available if a member would rather not use that one.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: C. Take the treadmill out of use immediately, make it obvious it must not be used, and radio your duty manager straight away so she can arrange the repair and proper signage.

    Least effective: D. Leave the treadmill in use, since the belt can still be stopped with the console button and six other treadmills are available if a member would rather not use that one.

    A: Delays the decision: the logbook is the right record and the wrong speed. It leaves a treadmill with no working emergency stop available to members for the rest of the day.

    B: Acts on assumptions without checking: the contractor's answer is useful and the decision about whether members may use a machine with no emergency stop belongs to your duty manager, who is in the building now.

    D: Stays silent about a known safety risk: you have confirmed the emergency stop does not work and leave the machine open to members anyway, with nobody told. That is a safety failure, not a judgement about priorities.

    The most effective response is to take the treadmill out of use immediately and radio your duty manager: an emergency stop that does not work on a moving belt is a safety fault, so the machine comes out of use first, and she is in the building and is the person who can arrange both signage and the contractor. It beats noting the fault in the maintenance logbook for the contractor’s next scheduled visit, because that records it for a future visit while members carry on using the machine today. It beats ringing the maintenance contractor yourself, because they can say when they will come but cannot decide whether the gym may keep a machine with no emergency stop in service; that is the duty manager’s call and she is thirty seconds away on the radio. The least effective response is leaving the treadmill in use because the belt can still be stopped with the console button: it is the only response that leaves a confirmed safety fault in service and tells nobody, on the reasoning that members have alternatives. That is worse than the other two, which are too slow but do report it. The principle: make a safety fault safe first, then tell the person on site who can decide what happens next.