contractor
Safety
everyone for
same goal
In many industrial organizations, it is not their own employees who are directly in the line of risk, but those of (in-house) contractors. With the in-house organization as the "management organization," the responsibility for meeting safety objectives lies largely with third parties. That is why the focus in recent years has increasingly been on managing the behavior of contractors - especially, of course, those who perform the operational work.
That challenge is even greater than changing the behavior of its own employees.
A contractor safety communications plan that can help with this is therefore more comprehensive than a plan for "just" one's own organization.
By the way, an important part of this plan is the establishment of a sounding board group with representatives from both the client and the contractors/partners.
Salmay assists organizations with the design and implementation of a contractor safety communications plan:
- write plan
- communication structure set-up
- developing resources
- production and implementation support
- content development (the "extra hands")
- overall project management
Safety awareness is not equally strong at all levels of the organization. Logical: the greater the risk of an accident, the more aware people are of the need for protection. Salmay introduces "chain thinking" when communicating safety with contractors. When each link in the chain is aware of its own role, it firmly benefits those at the end of the chain. Therefore, it starts with Procurement. Managers' and buyers' biggest risk is getting to work. Yet they play an important role in improving Contractor Safety. Indeed, already in the procurement phase, the safety performance of third parties is weighed, right down to the basic design. The better the knowledge and safety awareness of this group, the safer the work becomes in later phases of the project. Making procurement aware that they play an important role in workplace safety is part of the domain of Contractor Safety communication.
After the contractor, based on a strongly considered and thorough HSE plan in the bid phase, is selected, the work begins in practice. This reveals that Project Managers, used as they are to managing for time and cost, are not yet familiar with managing occupational safety aspects. An awareness campaign for this group is described in the contractor safety communication plan. Safety experts from both their own and the Contractors' organizations, will set up the project organization in their areas of expertise. They will co-advise on the content of the Contractors Safety Plan. Supervisors have advanced safety awareness. The communication plan states with this target group that they will benefit most in developing skills to discuss (un)safe behavior. Supervisors also play a pivotal role in communication - after all, they pick up most of the signals from the scene.
We make our own employees, in the direct management role, aware of the fact that they have an exemplary role through targeted communication. While they used to work safely "only" to avoid an accident themselves, this will now be extended. They now work safely with a broader purpose: to serve as an example, as setting the standard, for hired contractors. That won't always be easy: contractors have their own, often very thorough, safety programs. In practice, the bottom line is that both parties will learn from each other. In a pretty ideal situation, there is constant cross-pollination, through the exchange of best practices. We often see it emerge first in "real" practice. The communication plan pays broad attention to this.
As mentioned, contractors have their own safety (awareness) programs. Yet those are subservient to the client's rules. Should the contractor's program be of a higher level, the contractor safety communication program provides space to learn from it. For a large international client with many hired contrators for construction projects, we developed an overall contractor safety communication plan. The 'contact group', consisting of our own employees and representatives of all contractors, plays a key role in this. It is in this group that we review all initiatives and resources that are developed. With the necessary feedback, we always operate in complete consensus where everyone learns from each other. The resulting actions that affect employees from in the line of risk are balanced and arrive well. In this group, Salmay fulfills the role of inspirer, booster of ideas and executor of plans and resources.
The client often moves in partnership with the contractors. Also, in the context of the assignment, the various hired parties are partners and not competitors. Salmay sets up a consultation structure in which all parties sit down together at regular intervals. The contractor safety group works according to a fixed agenda, in which business agreements are checked and issues are discussed. There is also room for informal contacts, for example during lunch.
Want to learn more about contractor safety options and their implementation in your organization?
Call Salmay (0251-651 906) and ask for Fred Aarsen.