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Contractors can be incredibly helpful for accomplishing short-term projects and goals in today’s dynamic work environment. However, managing the health and safety of contractors requires strategic efforts from employers since they may not have the same level of training, experience, and qualifications as full-time employees. Implementing a robust contractor safety management program is a wise investment to protect contractors, employees, and the public from safety hazards.
Contractor safety hazards can lead to injuries, lost time, project delays, fines, lawsuits, and damage to a company’s reputation. With contractors making up such a significant portion of the workforce across industries like construction, manufacturing, and oil and gas, it’s incredibly important that businesses prioritize their safety.
Some key reasons why contractor safety must be a top priority include:
Metrics are a crucial part of any effective contractor safety management program. They help gauge performance, identify problem areas, and drive continuous improvement.
Leveraging data and metrics for contractor safety makes a major difference in the success of an organization’s safety management initiatives. Robust analysis provides actionable insights that allow businesses to manage risks proactively.
Some major benefits of relying on contractor safety metrics include:
Some important metrics that leading companies track for contractor safety include:
To reliably monitor and measure key contractor safety metrics, companies first need to continually collect reliable data like incident reports, training logs, contractor hours worked, and other inputs. This data is then analyzed using standard formulas to calculate metric rates like TRIR and DART.
Experts review trends in the metrics over time and compare them against targets. Metrics are disclosed regularly via reports and visualizations to safety managers and leadership. In committee meetings, the metrics are reviewed to determine any corrective actions like added training, process changes, or new safety initiatives needed to drive improvement. Ongoing metric measurement, analysis, and action planning help to ensure optimal contractor safety management in the future.
Managing contractor safety cannot remain stagnant. Organizations must take proactive steps to ensure contractor safety processes are continuously improved over time.
Conducting regular assessments and audits of contractor safety processes, at least annually, is crucial for identifying corrective actions needed for improvement. Assessments help determine if current procedures reflect the latest regulatory requirements and industry best practices. They reveal if existing training programs adequately prepare contractors for the job scope and hazards.
Any compliance issues or non-conformances to policies, regulations, and client requirements can be discovered through audits. Additionally, assessments pinpoint opportunities to better leverage safety technologies and systems for enhancement.
Actively collecting direct feedback from contractors provides insights into on-the-ground realities regarding current safety processes and ideas for improvement. Common techniques to gather contractor feedback include:
Emerging technologies unlock new possibilities for optimizing contractor safety management:
Fostering a strong company-wide safety culture that includes contractors is key to making meaningful, long-term gains in safety performance. When leaders consistently show they value safety through their words and actions, it sets the tone from the top.
Contractors should feel empowered to take an active role in safety initiatives rather than passive participation. When contractors and employees collaborate, it improves coordination, and everyone feels a sense of ownership over safety outcomes. Open and steady communication about safety information, lessons learned, and ideas for improvement gets everyone on the same page. And recognition programs that celebrate contractors for excellent safety results help ingrain safety into the culture.
As leaders in safety consulting, Amerisafe Group gives your organization a proactive and multilayered approach to managing contractor safety. Our team of experts goes beyond basic compliance to focus on creating an enduring safety culture in the workplace. Amerisafe Group provides guidance for building comprehensive programs, from pre-qualification to training, oversight, and advanced data analytics.
Our customized consulting model has helped companies across many industries establish centralized systems that lower safety risks and costs. Contact Amerisafe Group today to transform your contractor safety management program.
An effective contractor safety program includes pre-qualification screening, comprehensive safety training, written policies and procedures, worksite inspections, incident reporting and investigation, use of proper safety equipment, and strict enforcement of safety rules.
Companies can encourage contractor engagement by requesting feedback, including contractors in safety meetings and audits, providing incentives for identifying hazards and reporting issues, recognizing good safety performance, and fostering open communication between contractors and employees. A collaborative approach boosts participation.
Mobile apps for efficient reporting and information access, wearables that enable real-time visibility, digital checklists and forms, advanced analytics, and virtual reality training simulations are some key technologies that can optimize contractor safety management.