Often, a contractor is engaged by a client to carry out work in their location or outside the client’s location. The contractor will always collect their payment depending on the agreement. Sometimes, some of these activities may pose a health and safety risk to the contractor. Even though contractors are responsible for their health and safety and those of others who might be affected by their work activities, the client has a shared safety responsibility to ensure a safe workplace.
Who is a Contractor?
A contractor is a person or an organisation engaged to work for a client but not under the client’s direct supervision and control. The contractor handles the work for the client.
Who is a Client?
A client is a person, an individual or an organisation that engages the service of a contractor under agreed terms and conditions.
3 Ways to effectively manage contractors to ensure they work safely in your organisation.
1.How to Select a Contractor?
When selecting a contractor, carefully reviewing their health and safety competence is a good practice. But there are a lot of documents you need to ask them when determining their safety competence. The documents include
- Health and safety policy.
- A copy of risk assessment documents.
- Records of their tools and equipment maintenance.
- Accident history records
- Names of previous or current clients.
- Training records
- Qualification records
- Record of enforcement action taken against them by the safety authorities, if there is any.
- Proof of adequate resources from the contractor.
When you have obtained these documents, you must go through them to see how the company has done according to health and safety. That will guide you when you engage them in your work or see areas you must pay attention to when supervising them.
2.When planning the work.
When planning for the work after selecting the contractor, the contractor should be able to tell the client the hazards and the risks in their activity. After that, the contractor will be meant to produce the risk assessment and develop a safe work method for the activity. The safe work method is often referred to as a method statement. The Client will look at it and approve it for work to commence.
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3. During the work.
The client will monitor and supervise the job. An arrangement must be made to ensure that the contractor complies with safe working practices. These safety arrangements should include the below.
- There should be a procedure for signing in and signing out of workers in that facility.
- There should be a designated supervisor for the various activities.
- That should be an arrangement for site Safety Induction for all contractor workers present for the job.
- Introduction of a permit-to-work system to monitor high-risk activity. A responsible person should be meant to monitor this process and ensure that it is done correctly.
- They should also monitor the contractors to ensure they are still working according to agreed safety standards in their risk assessment and method statement.
Conclusion
It is pertinent that the client monitors the contractor to ensure that the work is safe. The Client has to follow it carefully to ensure that the contractor complies with every safety standard. Selecting contractors , planning the job, and monitoring the work by the Client is a sure way to maintain a safe working environment. A safe work environment is for the benefit of everyone, including the client and the contractor.
Onyeka Emma is a QHSE Professional with more than 10 years of experience in occupational health and safety, which spans many industries such as construction, beverage, oil and gas, etc. He has many health and safety certifications, including NEBOSH IGC, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 45001:2018 Lead auditor certificate. A member of IOSH, ISPON, and Nigeria Red Cross Society. He is interested in business, entrepreneurship, Speaking, and motivating people to do better for themselves. He enjoys leisure with a good motivational book.
