diff --git a/include/haproxy/mworker-t.h b/include/haproxy/mworker-t.h
index 3137ec0be..46e125f36 100644
--- a/include/haproxy/mworker-t.h
+++ b/include/haproxy/mworker-t.h
@@ -24,7 +24,9 @@
 #define PROC_O_TYPE_PROG             0x00000004
 /* 0x00000008 unused */
 #define PROC_O_LEAVING               0x00000010  /* this process should be leaving */
-/* 0x00000020 to 0x00000080 unused */
+/* state of the newly forked worker process, which hasn't sent yet its READY message to master */
+#define PROC_O_INIT                  0x00000020
+/* 0x00000040 to 0x00000080 unused */
 #define PROC_O_START_RELOAD          0x00000100  /* Start the process even if the master was re-executed */
 
 /*
diff --git a/src/haproxy.c b/src/haproxy.c
index e9198704b..c6107e0da 100644
--- a/src/haproxy.c
+++ b/src/haproxy.c
@@ -2095,8 +2095,8 @@ static void init(int argc, char **argv)
 			ha_alert("Cannot allocate process structures.\n");
 			exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
 		}
-		tmproc->options |= PROC_O_TYPE_WORKER; /* worker */
-
+		/* worker */
+		tmproc->options |= (PROC_O_TYPE_WORKER | PROC_O_INIT);
 		/* create a sockpair to copy it via fork(), thus it will be in
 		 * master and in worker processes
 		 */