Best Practices For Contractor Safety Management

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Executive Summary

This report provides managers in operations and safety roles with an overview of best practices for contractor safety management. To capture best practice insights, Verdantix undertook 23 interviews with corporate safety and operations managers as well as contractor safety management experts at service providers and technology firms. Verdantix analysis finds that successful contractor safety management requires a closed loop digital process. Directors of EHS, procurement and operations need to invest in digital technologies that connect the dots for all contractor safety management practices and eliminate data silos.

Contractor Safety Management Is A Huge Challenge Across Multiple Industries
Outsourcing Work To Contractors Increases Risk Exposure Rather Than Reducing It
Contractors Add Safety Challenges To Ongoing Operations And Project Work
Current Approaches To Fixing Contractor Safety Management Are Broken

Successful Contractor Safety Management Requires A Closed Loop Digital Process
1) Apply Tough Prequalification Criteria To Eliminate High-Risk Contractors
2) Build A Worker Safety Data Model That Enhances Prequalification Assessment
3) Leverage Digital Technologies For Secure Site Access And Effective Safety Onboarding
4) Give Contractors Access To On-Site And Digital Corporate Safety Resources
5) Capture Post-Contract Safety Performance Information To Enhance The Framework

Figure 1. Outsourcing Increases Risk Exposure
Figure 2. Contractors Add Safety Challenges
Figure 3. Current Approaches To Contractor Safety Management Are Broken
Figure 4. Best Practices For Contractor Safety Management
Figure 5. Checklist For Inclusion When Prequalifying Contractors
Figure 6. Spending Changes On Contractor Risk Management Software

About the Authors

Sebastian Winter

Sebastian Winter

Industry Analyst

Sebastian is an Industry Analyst in the Verdantix Operational Excellence practice. His research agenda covers digital twins for industrial facilities, asset management softwar...

Malavika Tohani

Malavika Tohani

Research Director

Malavika is a Research Director at Verdantix, guiding research that explores how digital technologies and services are reshaping industrial operations to become safer, more ef...

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David Metcalfe

David Metcalfe

CEO and Co-Founder

David is the CEO and co-founder of Verdantix, where he leads the firm’s strategic direction and client engagement. Since co-founding the firm in 2008, David has built a ...

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