The complexity of utilising and managing contractors can present businesses with various risks, from legal liability and compliance-based risks to reputational risks from projects not delivered to your standard. Developing and employing robust lines of defence in your management of contractors can help mitigate many of these risks and ensure that you are getting the right people, who will do the job correctly.
Contractor Prequalification
Before engaging a contractor, you should be comfortable that they have all the correct licences and insurances for the work required from them. Additionally, they should have documented safe work practices and policies to guide the execution, including risk assessments relating to the work to be done such as Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS).
In-house prequalification of contractors can be time consuming and labour intensive. It involves chasing documents, developing your own filing system, and knowing when to follow up when documents are due for renewal. By utilising a contractor safety management and prequalification system like Cm3, you can automate most of this process, and leave the administrative work to our capable team of WHS Assessors and support staff.
By prequalifying your contractors, you are managing risk and ensuring compliance by only engaging contractors that have the credentials to get your work done safely and correctly. Read more about What is Contractor Prequalification?
Contractor Induction
Once you have engaged a contracting business, you need to be sure that their workers coming onto site are properly inducted to your safety practices and understand your policies, procedures, and expectations concerning conduct on site.
Utilising an online duction platform like Cm3 Induct allows you to deliver essential training to contracted workers prior to visiting your site. When connected to a prequalification solution, the system can request the completion of your tailored induction programs once the contractor has achieved prequalification.
An online induction platform will allow you to deliver essential induction training to contracted workers prior to visiting your facilities. Read more about the different types of inductions in The Importance of Site Inductions.
Site Access Controls
Site Access solutions provide facility managers with an added layer of defence in their safety management. Upon arrival, a contractor must “check in” to the site, where the system can verify their identity and, if connected with their prequalification and induction systems, that they have satisfied your requirements for engagement. Access solutions can also deliver site-specific inductions as well as declaration requests, such as COVID symptoms and vaccination status.
Having site access controls such as Cm3 OnSite implemented and integrated with existing systems, you are able to check that workers are from prequalified businesses and have completed your inductions when they arrive on site. You can have confidence in knowing that you have an extra line of defence to prevent contractors who have not met your requirements from compromising your safety and compliance.
Onsite Contractor Verification
Once on site and conducting the work you have engaged them for, it is important to verify that the contractors are actually applying their WHS management system as presented in the prequalification process, and are following the policies and procedures presented during their induction.
Consultants engaged to perform Onsite Contractor Verification Services perform onsite audits and verification activities that can be directly uploaded into Cm3 or other approved platforms, along with observations and recommendations to assist with business analytics. This information can then be used to raise Corrective Action Requests (CARs), generate reports, and enhance overall communication with your contractors.
By utilising these three lines of defence in your contractor management, you can be confident in managing your liability and compliance risks.