Five Ways to Keep Contractors Safe
Deborah A.P. Hersman, NSC's president and CEO, said 14 participating companies "share how they have placed safety at the heart of every project. Their experiences can help other employers establish safe contract relationships that run the gamut, from delivering mail to major construction projects."
The National Safety Council's Campbell Institute has released a report outlining a safety roadmap for effectively handling the complexities of contractor management. Fourteen companies contributed to the report.
"Collaboration is the bedrock of all successful partnerships," said Deborah A.P. Hersman, NSC's president and CEO. "These companies share how they have placed safety at the heart of every project. Their experiences can help other employers establish safe contract relationships that run the gamut, from delivering mail to major construction projects."
According to NSC, the temporary and contract worker industry has added more U.S. jobs in the last three years than any other industry. And the rate of injury for this segment has paralleled its rise, as jobs tend to involve tasks that workers are not trained to handle. Five steps to help lessen risk are:
- Prequalification- vetting contractors based on their safety statistics and proven track records
- Pre-job task and risk assessment- evaluating the inherent risks involved in the work that contract workers would be expected to perform
- Training and orientation- providing the instruction and tools necessary so workers can do their jobs correctly and safely
- Job monitoring- assessing work throughout the contract term
- Post-job evaluation- rating the contractor based on safety, customer service and quality of finished work.