Workplace safety has never been more important
As the many sectors recover from the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic, safety across the industries who engage with Contractors has never been more important. As organisations work towards recovering their losses there’s a propensity to potentially cut corners to reduce costs to increase productivity.
Worker deaths have increased by 8% in Australia in 2022, and at the time of writing this blog, there is still another quarter to go in the year so it’s hopefully not going to go any higher. There have been many industries identified as a WHS (Work Health and Safety) priority due to the high-risk work undertaken. There is an attempt to reduce fatalities across many sectors due to large numbers or work-related injuries and illnesses So more emphasis on workplace safety is obviously needed.
Employer obligations for Contractors
Organisations need to understand their obligations and make efforts to implement effective measures of safety across the workplace for its employees as well as any contractors entering their buildings in which work is conducted. The definition of a contractor is a worker who is externally engaged to work for the organisation, and where they are not directly employed.
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As the hirer of the contractor you must also be assessing any potential WHS risks linked to contractors conducting work across any project planning, including implementing any risk controls. To do this you will need to evaluate the WHS standards as part of any evaluation process or procurement process of contracted works. This may include creating or monitoring systems for WHS contractor performance.
Providing safety management procedures to contractors who work on your premises is also paramount in ensuring all bases are covered. This can be done by providing comprehensive induction training where the contractor is educated on what to do in the event of any safety related problems arising. Inductions should include the following:
- Emergency procedures
- Clear instructions on accessible areas
- Health and safety procedures
- Unsafe materials registers
- Safe use of machinery and equipment
Contractors must also complete a safety induction checklist, which can be delivered by either an employee briefing or through digital technology, like using an online induction and checklist survey feature in a visitor sign-in system.
What’s required by the Contractor
The Work health and safety Act in Australia says that contractors are also required to deliver services and products whilst meeting the work health and safety measures outlined in the Act. During their duties they must take into consideration safety of:
- Other Contractors
- Employees
- Customers
- Third parties
As part of the WHS Act, contractors also have an obligation to take reasonable care for their own safety. They must also make sure their work does not negatively impact the health and safety of other workers.
As part of the WHS Act, contractors also have an obligation to take reasonable care for their own safety. They must also make sure their work does not negatively impact the health and safety of other workers.
Contractors, Visitor Management and Compliance
Organisations who want to take advantage of technology to improve their workflow and reduce time and costs, whilst meeting compliance requirements for safety can implement a digital self check-in solution, which meets the requirements of the WHS Act.
Using a digital visitor sign in solution can improve your efficiency when approving contractors coming on site. Here’s some of the areas where digital visitor management software can help with reducing time as well as make it easier for your contractors when they arrive on site:
- Pre-approving contractors
- Send approval requests to contractors for work credentials prior to them commencing work on site reduces paperwork and approves contractors faster.
- Requests are fully managed by the software sending out emails and requests for information once they are approved and cleared to be onsite.
- Set expiry dates on approvals to maintain accuracy and minimise inaccurate record keeping.
- Automated notifications
- Automatically send out requests via email to alert people when approvals are not granted or requirements are not met, such as invalid work or health certificates
- All communication is also kept to a minimum and recorded to reduce confusion and improve accuracy.
- Customised site safety inductions
- Customised safety training through online inductions means your contractors can assimilate accurate information about Work Health and Safety requirements.
- Inductions are a specific requirement outlined in the WHS Act.
- Taylored screening surveys
- Ask the right questions and screen contractors for health and safety reasons and provide efficient ways to ensure compliance when contractors arrive onsite..
- Screening also provides the ability to be specific for each site as well as maintaining an audit trail of answers provided.
- Accepting or declining entry on site based on the answers keeps it safer for everyone.
- Secure record keeping
- Accurate information should be kept for retrospective purposes, as you may be required to provide proof that your contractor had been inducted correctly and received all the approvals necessary to conduct work in your workplace.
- To save time data is also stored for returning contractors and reduces the time required when contractors are returning regularly to conduct work over extended periods.
- With a digital visitor checkin solution you can also generate reports for compliance purposes. Standard reports can help you maintain a record of all activities and be used if an incident is reported as proof that compliance has been maintained.
Mobility and Contractor Management
Mobility has also much to play when using a visitor check in system. The fact that contractors can access approval requirements, safety inductions and screening questions all via their smartphone makes a lot of sense. It’s a convenient and efficient way to ensure you’re staying compliant across your contractor workforce. It means contractors do not necessarily need to be onsite. Inductions and screening can be performed off site and at the time it suits best.
Contractors can receive links via email to access their training and safety inductions on their phones. Once inductions are completed alerts are sent via email to the manager for final review. Based on any screening questions, managers can approve or deny, or request more information. The benefits are reduced mistakes and increased accuracy with a record of all transactions kept if needed at a later date.
As an employer who is engaging with contractors you still have an obligation to make it safe for everyone, including employees and other visitors. At the end of the day, you will need to make sure you are complying with work health and safety legislation and the contractor specific WHS requirements.
At Ezy Sign-in we can help you meet those requirements through our leading visitor management and contractor onboarding solution. To get in touch with one of our team you can visit our contact page or call us on +613-8319-0976. Alternatively, you can trial our solution by signing up online at https://online.ezysignin.com/signup.
