What is a Contractor?

Contractors are any organisation or person that is physically working at work sites as an independently operating business.

As they are performing work on sites, there is the potential for them to cause a WHS related incident. They should be invited onto Cm3 to complete the WHS prequalification process as well as submit required insurances.

Contractors Include
  • Electricians coming to do test and tag
  • Services provided at sites e.g. plant maintenance, cleaning, water deliveries, recycling collection and any handyman services
  • Window cleaners
  • Equipment installers
  • Temporary staff placement agencies (their staff are working on site)
Bringing your Contractors to Cm3

When you are exporting lists of your contractors from existing software systems for review in Cm3, the following actions are useful to ensure clean data:

  • Assess the contractors on the list and determine if you are currently using them, or intend on using them in the next twelve months
  • If they are in use, or will be in use, check that all their contact details are correct
  • Export the information, ensuring you meet or exceed this bare minimum of required fields: business name, ABN, contact name and email address
  • Return the list to Cm3 as soon as possible

 

What is a Supplier?

Suppliers are businesses who supply and deliver goods, or that provide a service that does not involve working on sites. They are not usually required to have Cm3 prequalification, but can be invited to register with Cm3 as ‘insurance check only’ at a reduced cost and no completion of risk questions. However, there is increased scrutiny on suppliers from an Ethical Sourcing and Modern Slavery perspective. This emphasises the importance of assessing suppliers for the risks that they may introduce to your supply chain from the perspectives of sustainability and reputation.

Suppliers Include:
  • Independent professionals engaged to work in an employee-type capacity
  • Flower deliveries
  • Catering businesses
  • External printing services
  • Professional advice services – legal counsel
  • Delivery companies who are physically storing/placing/installing goods on our work sites
  • Software/IT development and support
  • Design services

 

How Cm3 fits into your Management of Contractors & Suppliers

Having your contractors registered on Cm3 is the first step in the process, to be an effective risk management tool you should move towards only using contractors who hold a current Cm3 prequalification (their WHS assessment has been passed and all insurances are in date).

Your contractor management policies and procedures should be reviewed and revised to include Cm3, and then communicated to all staff. Once completed, contractor lists will be uploaded to Cm3 and the system will commence sending out a series of email invites to the contractors.

The emails will advise contractors about Cm3, provide supporting documentation and give them a unique code to register with your business. The system will continue to remind contractors to complete the registration process, however will cease after three reminders (plus the initial advice email).

Staff will be provided with a login to Cm3 and trained in how to monitor contractors on Cm3. They will also be shown how to communicate with them during the registration and prequalification process.