Contractor Safety Research Literature Review Safety Erudite Inc. 2008

Transcription

1 Contractor Safety Research Literature Review Safety Erudite Inc. 2008

2 Contractor Engagement Strategies Protecting workers involves planning, implementing, training, overseeing, and evaluating health and safety programs and activities of contractors (Gochfield and Mohr, 2007, p. 1607) Labor contractors often skimp on safety training as well Having a good occupational safety and health program that was initiated and overseen by trained staff by owners helps in overall worker safety Safety training provided to subcontractor workers is positively correlated with safety performance (Gochfield and Mohr, 2007, p. 1611) Impose safety responsibility on all levels of contractors: The prime contractor assumes the entire responsibility under the contract Sub-contractor assumes responsibility with respect to his portion of the work For sub-contracted work, the prime contractor and subcontractor should have joint responsibility (Gochfield and Mohr, 2007, p. 1611)

3 Background Characteristics of contractors that had < average lostworkplace injury rates: Management always established safety goals for supervisors The contractors enforced drug testing Work was completed on budget rather than over budget Causes of poor safety performance Firms advise plant managers to avoid responsibilities for training and supervising contract labour to avoid legal and financial responsibilities in the event of an incident Sub-contractors were more likely to have shorter and less-effective training programs and were less likely to embody a safety culture

4 Background cont d Root causes of most accidents include: Inadequate training Deficient safety enforcement Unsafe equipment Site conditions Work methods, or sequencing Poor attitude towards safety Injuries likely to occur in the early stages of a project Start of the project better preparation and communication required Safety as a cost-controlling measure is often overlooked by owners and contractors Safety can significantly impact the overall cost by reducing the risks associated with construction, (Emmons, 2007)

5 Build Safety Into Contracts Owner can improve safety performance by engaging Contractors with good safety programs in the prequalification or screening process (Emmons, 2007) Owners must demand Contractors actively and successfully control their risks through comprehensive safety programs Benefits to pre-qualifying a contractor by comparing the firm's safety record and other company statistics with the competition View contractor as a partner in the construction process Safety is planned into the job as an integral part of the operation rather than something that is used only when it is necessary Owners must mandate that a quality safety program be an important part of the selected contractor's culture Contract documents are a very effective tool in conveying the owner's safety requirements to the contractor

6 Build Safety Into Contracts... Cont d Contractor competence should be assessed at the pre-contract stage by asking questions and by obtaining evidence of competency Contractors and sub-contractors must be made aware of the Owner's HSE policies and practices, as well as their duty to comply with them Owner and the contractor have responsibilities to conduct suitable risk assessments. Owners should conduct a specific risk assessment for the work they want a Contractor to perform Both the owner and the contractor have a legal responsibility to ensure that any work performed does not affect the health and safety of their workforce Owners should assess the degree of supervision that is needed before work begins Contractor safety director should report directly to CEO for an effective Contractor safety program Contractor rewards should be linked to safety performance

7 Owner Contractor Involvement Contractors should know who is in control and who is coordinating the work on behalf of the owner Contractors have a duty to report anything on site which could be a risk to their or other people's health and safety They must be told so Contractor and owner should agree what role the owner will have in the selection of sub-contractors Site visits should be made by the owner s representative to ensure work is being carried out as agreed Visits should be combined with discussions on HSE issues Contractors and sub contractors have a responsibility to make regular (daily) checks to ensure work is being carried out as planned RoSPA, (2008)

8 Contractor Engagement First step toward improving Contractor safety is to embark on an information exchange process - collaboration As entrusted partners Contractors are equally responsible for jobsite safety practices Safety is the responsibility of Owner and Contractor Trust with Contractors includes choosing a company with a good reputation and developing a collaborative plan that protects every person Communication is key to a successful Owner/Contractor relationship and to ensuring the work is carried out as safely as possible There should be regular meetings between all parties including workers or their representatives

9 Recommendations Contractors should have safety procedures and personnel training appropriate to the hazards they face, but training alone is not adequate without oversight and enforcement Owner must maintain vigorous oversight of worker health and safety and retain authority as well as responsibility Owner supervision reduces contractor incident rates Oversight requires top down authority as well as bottom-up implementation Contracting should not be viewed as a mechanism of distancing Owners from the risks and liabilities of the work at its sites Safety must be viewed as an asset, not just as a cost by both Owner and contractor A dedicated commitment to safety by the owner and contractor will keep risks and construction costs in check All contractor frontline supervisors must be adequately trained in safety leadership is key to success Interactive participation at all operational levels in the development of job hazard analyses and regulatory compliance control

10 Recommendations Information about anything which could affect the health and safety of employees of either the Owner or Contractor should be provided to those employees This includes details of possible risks, site safety rules and information on reporting accidents and near misses Owners should highlight site safety rules and share all relevant health and safety information with Contractors Owners set the standards - If the Contractor see employees walking around without safety glasses, they will follow the trend and stop wearing safety glasses Contractors travel to many sites and need to acclimate to your site... Help them understand their safety is just as important to you as that of regular facility personnel Communicate to Contractors consequences for failing to work safely and follow through

11 Recommendations The facility has a lot of influence in effectively managing contractor safety. There is no magic formula to contractor safety. Careful contractor selection Work scope properly defined Joint identification of the hazards the contractor and mitigation plans Audits of contractor s performance (either random or on a schedule) are essential Choose contractors on the basis of: Work experience and ability to complete the job in a safe fashion Not just based on the bid for the project - Often the lowest bid is lowest because operational and safety corners are cut

12 References Ayers, D. (2007). Contractor safety: building trust and communication. Occupational hazards. Retrieved Oct 02, 2008 from EBSCOhost database. Emmons, J. (2007). Why contractor safety is important for an owner. Buildings,101(4). Retrieved Oct 02, 2008 from EBSCOhost database. Gochfeld, M. & Mohr, S. (2007). Protecting Contract Workers: Case Study of the US Department of Energy's Nuclear and Chemical Waste Management. American Journal of Public Health. Retrieved Oct 02, 2008 from EBSCOhost database. RoSPA (2008). Contractors. The royal society for prevention of accidents (RoSPA) Occupational Safety & Health Journal, 38(3). Retrieved Oct 02, 2008 from EBSCOhost database. Shash, A. A, & Ahcom, J. (2006). Organizational aspects of safety management subsystem. Journal of Construction Research, 7(1&2). Retrieved Oct 02, 2008 from EBSCOhost database.