Managing Contractors Safely: A Practical Guide

### The Contractor Management Challenge When you engage contractors, you share responsibility for how their work affects safety on your premises. Effective contractor management is a four-stage process: selection, pre-work assessment, on-site control, and post-work review. ### Selection Assess competence before engagement: * Request evidence of qualifications, memberships and insurance * Review their risk assessments and method statements (RAMS) * Check references from comparable work ### Pre-Work Assessment Exchange information about: * Site-specific hazards (asbestos, working at height, hot work) * Permit-to-work requirements * Emergency procedures and site rules ### On-Site Control * Induct contractors before work begins * Monitor compliance with agreed RAMS * Use permit-to-work systems for high-risk activities ### Post-Work Review * Inspect completed work * Record any incidents or near misses * Feed lessons learned back into future contractor selection