Contractor site requirements

[ians]

This is what I like to see...

A reminder to my company today, point 5 should be enforced on more sites and a tag identifying the staff member with his qualifications clearly indicated, so when I walk past and see a person working on live wires or isolating a distribution board I can see his qualification without having to contact the company he works for. I can then take a picture of him and his ID tag and a picture of him performing a task which he is not suppose to be doing or just leave him/her to continue with their work, creating a safer environment for everyone working on the site. The DOL should setup a website clearly indicating each person function...ie eleconop 2 can work on xyz parts of an electrical installation etc etc or the person building the scaffold is qualified to perform the task without supervision etc.


Kindly be reminded of the requirements for contractors on site.


1. All contractors MUST have signed The xxxx Contractors' Rules document and submitted it to the HSE Office.
2. They MUST submit a valid Letter of Good Standing from the Department of Labour indicating COID Registration Number(or proof of payment of dues if the letter is not available)
3. Proof of Liability Insurance
4. Their staff MUST go through xxxx Contractor Induction Program.
5. Copy of valid permit/proof of competence in relevant area, e.g. scaffolding, rigging, etc depending on their line of work.
6. They MUST provide a safety file - as per their line of work
7 They MUST provide their own tools and equipment (this includes personal protective equipment as required in the area of work), e.g. ladders, scaffolding, hard hats, hearing protection, safety goggles, etc

[Trickzta]

Please allow me my two cents worth, I hope it is not off topic. It's not news, but it is (was) relevant.

This is an important thread as failure to ascertain and keep on file, certain information, could see you/your company liable for the actions of contractors used to carry out work at your premises or on a project run by your company.

Letters of goodstanding are critical in this regard. Copies of artisans qualifications are also of consequence, in certain cases.

A short video is one option to satisfy the induction requirements, a few questions on a page or two, concerning the more dangerous aspects could be used, along with the signature of the 'safety officer' and of the inductee could be kept on file as well.

Much depends on the size and nature of the company. Big companies would be more prone to accidents than small to medium ones.

The company that makes use of contractors has the responsibility to ensure that all equipment brought on site by the contractors is the correct equipment and that it is in good working order.

At the top end of safety requirements is the 'risk assessment' documentation.

This documentation often takes longer than the actual work does.

The company that supplies the contractors would give the company making use of the contractors a copy of their risk assessment documentation, signed by a safety officer and all the contractors.

It would include the contractors scope of work, tools and safety equipment, even covering risks such as manual lifting and loading of heavy tools.

Scaffolding, once erected needs to be inspected, and signage attached to the scaffolding, stating the valid dates that the scaffolding may be used on, and stating who the inspector or responsible person is.

Entry into enclosed spaces, a storage tank for example, has many legal requirements.

One requirement being the monitoring of the air quality.
A good option here is to use an air pump, like those they use on jumping castles, this ensures that no gases build up and a constant flow of fresh air.

Safety is an ongoing exercise, ladders, electrical hand tools, hammers and chisels, all lifting equipment need periodic checking, with checklists providing place for comments and signatures.

Lifting equipment, such as slings, hooks, chains need an external audit on an annual basis, as well as internal inspections before using the equipment.

The contractors are obliged on request to furnish proof of external audits on lifting equipment.

Most of these requirements are needed to be ISO compliant, and many companies pay little attention to them.

Some of this info may no longer apply, or may have been amended. It was valid three years ago.

Presented in good faith, but please, verify safety requirements periodically.

[Trickzta]

My previous post was a little off topic, apologies.

Point 5 is very important for a number of reasons. Not all safety related.

Companies often get charged artisan rates for work carried out by unqualified workers.

This escalates the costs dramatically.

Unqualified does not always translate into incompetent, but should an accident occur then the distinction is critical.

Poor workmanship in electronic/electrical control systems can give endless problems down the line. Especially with intermittent faults.

There is no substitute for safety.

[Dave A]

At the top end of safety requirements is the 'risk assessment' documentation.

This documentation often takes longer than the actual work does.

So true. It really is very time consuming.

Mind you, once you get into the swing of it, it does go a lot faster.

[Trickzta]

You are right Dave, once you have a template it does go faster.

The palaver with lock outs, tool and spares lists, work permits, induction, the time taken to enter and leave the premises at a power station or a large refinery often takes longer than the actual work does.

When you add the extra hours to the quote, they kick up a stink. Well get someone else then I say. Spend 8 hrs to do 3 hrs work?

At our plant, when it was running, I had 5 different types of acid, nitric being the main offender with its noxious fumes. Phosphoric being the most scary.

Also had hydrogen furnaces which can also be scary. And lp gas burners.

Working with these volatile substances is bad enough, but sorting out the paperwork was a major headache at times.

Our ISO 9000/2001 audits were done by a German Company, TUV, and a month before the audit, demarcation lines are painted and labels and signage is updated, registers are filled in and toolbox talks are back in operation, fire and evacuation drills are carried out, and all that jazz. Most companies operate this way.

It's a bit of a BS, but if you do everything 100% to the book, your production suffers and your profits suffer the most.

Safety and quality come at a price.

[ians]

So the next question, is all this documentation gona work and improve the quality of work or just make life a living hell for us in Durban with Temp. reaching 35+?

Put the little guys who are trying to do things right out of business completely, or clean out the scraps.

All this paper work means nothing unless there is a "competent person" enforcing the laws.

I have worked and managed staff on some large construction sites, including some industrial like sugar mills, Alusaf, RBM, Mondi and been involved in some of the big commercial sites, like the Chatworth centre, the wheel and the reserve bank to mention a few. I have witnessed some horiffic accidents, like watching a person fall 3 stories, another cut off 8 fingers, and more.

My point is you need to make the environment comfortable to work and the staff must be suitably qualified with the correct "supervision". All the paper work and rules and regulation mean nothing otherwise. Like the one comment I read "a restraining order is just a piece of paper, make sure your daughter can use a firearm" It doesn't help if a person in the office knows how to fill in the blank spots in a document, the supervisor (which should be on site) and staff should understand the document and he should be present while the work is being carried out.

I was involved in a project at RBM a little over a year ago, the safety document for the site with a breakdown of the work almost 300 pages. I never got to see the contents of the document because it was created by a clerk who sole purpose in the company is to create these documents for big companies. So is it helping to create a safer environment on site for the workers or make sure the big company is covered against the high rate of incidents on sites....mmmm makes you think.

[Trickzta]

I agree, smaller firms suffer most under the strict application of these requirements, many man hours are lost especially when you are dealing with different Companies whose requirements aren’t always the same. Come back when your safety officer has signed this form. Two trips wasted and hopefully now you have all the forms they require to be filled in. Hopefully you’re not turned back because there’s no Company stamp on Form 354 (b).

Smaller Companies cannot afford to have a person employed just to fill in these documents, and some staff cannot be expected to be competent in this task. The owner of the Company does not always have the time to fill out forms for every job and then it means that time is lost or wasted, not to mention the knock to the goodwill of the Company.

Large Companies do need, in most cases, this pile of paperwork and procedures to prevent avoidable accidents from happening. Sometimes I think it’s more of a CYA situation. We used to call it CYA paperwork (cover your a*se). Although necessary I believe it can be simplified and standardized, as it is you’re paying artisans and assistants to stand around while safety officers dot the i’s and cross the t’s.

And then when the paper work is accepted, after sorting out a glitch, you often find the contentious piece of procedural practice doesn’t even apply to the scope of your work on that site.

A more hands on approach to safety, is always a good thing.

The piles of paperwork just to get on some big Companies ‘Vendors List’ can be just as bad. I’ve had small companies return the forms saying, “If that’s what I need to fill in to get the work, then I don’t want the work”

That’s my opinion. I hope the weather cools down a bit.