Best Practices For Contractor Safety Management

Published 20 March 2019 by Sebastian Winter, Malavika Tohani & David Metcalfe,
Contractor Risk Management Environment, Health & Safety Industrial Wearables Operational Excellence Worker Safety Best Practices

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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.

Table of contents

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

Table of figures

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

Industry Analyst
Sebastian is an Industry Analyst in the Verdantix Operational Excellence practice. His research agenda covers digital twins for industrial facilities, asset management software, and connected worker platforms. Sebastian also delivers market strategy, voice of the customer, thought leadership, CDD, and digital strategy advisory pieces. Prior to joining Verdantix, Sebastian worked for Trucost, a division of S&P Global, and held positions in China, Brunei and Kenya. Sebastian holds an MSc Environmental Technology from Imperial College London.

Malavika Tohani

Research Director, Industrial Transformation
Malavika leads the Verdantix Industrial Transformation practice. Her current research agenda focuses on digital technologies for Operational Excellence including digital twins and software solutions for industrial risk and asset management. Malavika has over 15 years’ experience in research and strategy consulting. Malavika previously worked at Frost & Sullivan, managing and delivering advisory projects for clients involving expansion, acquisition, benchmarking and product development strategies. Malavika holds a MSc in Economics from Madras School of Economics.

David Metcalfe

CEO
David is the CEO of Verdantix and co-founded the firm in 2008. Based on his 20 years of experience in technology strategy and research roles he provides guidance on digital strategies to C-level executives at technology providers, partners at private equity firms and function heads at large corporations. His current focus is on helping clients understand their market opportunity tied to ESG investment trends and their impact on corporate sustainability strategies. During his 12 years running Verdantix – including 4 leading the New York office – he has helped dozens of clients grow their businesses through fund raising, acquisitions and international growth. David was previously SVP Research at Forrester and Head of Analysis & Forecasting at BT. He holds a PhD from Cambridge University and also worked as a Research Associate at the Harvard Business School.

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