What are the best practices for evaluating subcontractor safety standards?

Checking credentials also includes assessing the contractor's senior leaders. Many contractors do an outstanding job through the prequalification and bid phases only to land senior leaders whose only focus is schedule and budget on the project. On large industrial projects of significant duration, it is best practice for clients to interview personnel proposed for the contractor's leadership team and sign off (or not) on their approval. Some contracts stipulate a monetary penalty in the event an approved person does not mobilize to the project or departs prematurely. Bait-and-switch is not unheard of.

Verifying the credentials and qualifications of subcontractors before awarding a contract is foundational. This includes a thorough examination of their license, insurance, bonding, certification, and references. The safety record, encompassing factors such as OSHA violations, injury rates, workers' compensation claims, and safety awards, serves as a key indicator. Prioritizing subcontractors with a proven track record in completing projects safely and efficiently sets the groundwork for a successful partnership.

It can be helpful to manage the bridging of contractor safety plans to client requirements in three buckets. First, many clients will prescribe the procedures for common high-risk activities: fall prevention, confined space entry, LOTO, and similar. Meaning that all contractors will use the client prescribed process without exception. The 2nd bucket is mandatory requirements that can be met with contractor standards deemed to be equivalent to client standards. Examples might be field-level risk assessment or incident investigation protocol. The last, rare, bucket is a contractor's specialty work practices that a client knows little about. These are tasks/scopes that are far out of the ordinary and require detailed collaborative planning.

A critical aspect of evaluating subcontractor safety standards involves a comprehensive review of their safety plan for the specific project. This document should articulate how the subcontractor identifies, assesses, and controls hazards and risks associated with their work. Elements such as safety policies, procedures, training, equipment, inspections, audits, reporting, and emergency response should be scrutinized. Ensuring alignment with your own safety plan and compliance with regulatory and contractual requirements is essential.

A program of focused observations of high-risk/high-loss tasks can produce valuable data that informs and improves communications, training, work planning, culture, and a range of other benefits. Start with the tasks and conditions with a significant loss history and work up observation checklists that have legislation as the base and include site standards that supersede the law. Use knowledgeable observers and compile data. Review the data to identify areas of improvement and feed the information back to workers and supervisors. Promote field ownership of the process and the solutions.

Actively seeking feedback from subcontractors and other stakeholders contributes to a holistic evaluation of subcontractor safety standards. Feedback sheds light on strengths, weaknesses, satisfaction levels, and challenges faced by subcontractors during the project. Additionally, it offers valuable insights for enhancing project management processes and performance.

In addition to the systematic evaluation steps, incorporating intriguing anecdotes, curious facts, or significant insights not covered in the main sections adds a layer of interest. Sharing unique aspects or lesser-known facets related to subcontractor safety standards injects a level of engagement and curiosity, enhancing the overall understanding of the topic. This could be a platform to share compelling stories or highlight industry innovations that contribute to the broader conversation around safety standards in construction projects.

A big question for me had always been, has my contractor asked for feedback? Two big red flags for me have always been A) No feedback has been requested B) small amounts of feedback have recieved large amounts of pushback. It's a tough world, but it's even tougher if an individual/company is unwilling to adapt or listen to another's point of view.