On the 15th April a fire ripped through the roof of the historic Notre Dame cathedral where workers from a number of contractors had been carrying out extensive renovations to the spire’s timber-framed supports. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation but reportedly there’s no current suspicion of arson; it was probably an accident. All construction areas are high risk safety areas; all it can take is a spark from a sander, a blow torch or even cigarette ash to ignite common and flammable construction materials like wood, solvents, packaging and fuel.
Whilst the dangers and risks of maintenance work are high in people's minds, it might be a good time to review your contractor management processes. If an accident involving contractors happens on your work premises you must have demonstrated a basic duty of care in ensuring that the contractor is working safely.
There are a number of ways a company can demonstrate it is managing contractors on site. For example, the contractor can be issued with an authority-to-work pass, an act recommended in the HSE guidance Managing Contractors HSG159. The pass should contain details of where the contractor is due to be working, what they will be doing whilst on site and if they require a permit-to-work.
Permits to work help a company provide a record of health and safety compliance by creating a written record that demonstrates contractors or employees carrying out high risk activities have completed a safety checklist or risk assessment before beginning work each day, and are undertaking work with the right safety and/or personal protective equipment.
Russell Barnard, SG World Product Manager said: “Although you don’t have the same degree of control over contractors as your own employees, there are processes you can put in place to demonstrate you are managing contractors on site and have a basic understanding of the type of work and associated risks they are taking. SG World’s Authority to Work and Permit to Work solutions are key tools for businesses looking to implement well thought through contractor management processes.”