Introduction

When considering the safety culture in your workplace, it is important to take into account not just the employees on payroll but also the contractors and everyone on site performing work for your company. Getting contractors involved in your safety culture is critical to keeping everyone safe on the job. This week we will discuss the 5 cycles of the contractor lifecycle.  

Monday – Prequalification

This is the first step of the contractor lifecycle. During this step the employer determines standards the contractor must meet in order to work for the business. Once the contractor meets those requirements, it is also important to follow up with re-qualification for subsequent jobs to ensure the contracted company or individual continues to meet those requirements.

Tuesday– Pre-Job Task and Risk Assessment

The second step of the contractor lifecycle is to conduct a pre-job risk assessment to evaluate if the task or job is at an acceptable risk level. There are many different methods of conducting a pre-job risk assessment, here are a few questions to consider when developing your risk assessment.

• Does the contractor have the correct licenses and/or permits to perform the job correctly and safely?
• Is the contractor aware of your company’s applicable safety policies? Do they agree to comply with the policies?
• Does the contractor have the correct equipment and personnel protective equipment for the job?
• Is the job site safe and does the nature of the job pose any additional risk to your workforce?

Wednesday – Orientation and Training

The third step of the contractor lifecycle is to provide proper training and orientation for your workplace. This step could vary widely depending on the level of the contractor’s involvement with the company. Training could range anywhere from a 15-minute walkthrough/talk through of the company’s safety policies and requirements to multiple day or week training depending on the complexity and duration of the job.

Thursday – Monitoring of the Job

The fourth step of the lifecycle involves the host employer going to the job site periodically to conduct oversight of the contractor’s job safety performance. It is important to periodically verify that the contractors are following the company’s safety requirements and not creating a hazardous work environment.

Friday – Post-Job Evaluation

The last step of the contractor lifecycle is to establish a formal post-job evaluation process. Here are a few questions to consider when creating your post-job evaluation.

• Were all safety policies and procedures followed?
• Was there any unsafe activity witnessed or reported?
• Was the work completed safely and were all expectations met?

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