How to Select the Perfect Contractor without Health and Safety Risk?

Contractor selection has become an important strategy for controlling contractor safety in order to reduce workplace accidents and incidents. It is a procedure for identifying a qualified and appropriate contractor who is compatible with and knowledgeable about the client's safety management system. The review of the contractor's safety performance, worker's compensation, reported injury rates, periodic safety programmes being undertaken, and the competency level of the contractor's people should all be part of the process of selecting the proper contractor.

The process for selecting contractors looks at the contractor's demonstrated ability to work safely, the contractor's safety program's effectiveness, and how safety competency assessments are conducted to meet the workplace's safety management needs. At the time of the bid meeting and pre-award meetings, a thorough and effective assessment of contract safety specifications is required. Contractors must go through different pre-qualification steps to verify their expertise, depending on the client's requirements for safety management.

Pre-qualification of contractors is a best practice that the client should use to receive certified, qualified and competent employees from the contractor.

 

Contractor pre-qualification aids in the creation of a pool of contractors with the appropriate quality, capacity, and ability to work on projects of a specific scale and complexity. Contractors with a history of litigation, lawsuits, or performance-related problems are also weeded out. A contractor is required to bid on informal contracts for any project work that requires safety pre-qualification.

 

Consider the Following When Choosing a Contractor

1.       A copy of their policy on health and safety.
2.       Demonstrative risk assessments and method statements
3.       Workforce qualifications and training records.
4.       Affiliation to a professional group or being certified by a certifying body.
5.       Records of plant and equipment maintenance and testing.
6.       References from past or present clients.
7.       Records of prior accidents.
8.       Records of enforcement actions conducted against them by authorities.
9.       Demonstration of sufficient resources, such as access to expert safety advice.

 

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The benefit and effectiveness of the pre-qualification and selection process for contractors is critical and a necessary instrument for contractor safety management.

•   It minimizes contract execution variability.

•   It increases the effectiveness of project completion targets in terms of cost, quality, and time.

•  It enables alignment with the contractor prior to the start of execution activities.

•  Contractor supplies informed, skilled, and experienced personnel with adequate resources to ensure compliance with safety management.

•  Contractors are screened in advance for compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements.

•  Contractors exchange information on job-specific safety plants.

• Periodically, the contractor evaluates the success of orientation or trade-specific training.

• Before beginning construction, the contractor analyses the plans and does a job safety study.

• Contractor conducts field audits, documenting findings and enforcing corrective action on behalf of concerned executive officials.

• The contractor is constantly communicating progress on safety improvements.

• The contractor performs monitoring, implements required modifications, and modifies metrics as appropriate.

• The contractor conducts investigations into safety events, injuries, and near-misses with the goal of enhancing safety management.

Such precise criteria can serve as a road map for selecting contractors capable of planning, implementing, and developing the envisioned project in accordance with the organization's specific specifications.