Contractor Safety Alignment
While working at Duracell in the early 90’s, we went through an aggressive growth phase. I was the sole Safety Engineer at our plant where we manufactured AA and AAA batteries for North America and the battery business was good. We operated seven days a week, twenty four hours a day and we still could not keep up with the demand. The strength of the battery market led to a massive expansion of our plant. At the height of the expansion, we continued to make batteries at a record pace even though we had construction activities on three out of the four sides of the plant. Imagine the potential hazards with construction activities in full swing, during production. There was plenty of excitement and more than enough to do, and I struggled to keep up with the demand.
“When it comes to contractor safety, we can serve as your client safety representative (agent for the client)”
I faced huge challenges that consumed every minute of my day and lost sleep over the risk involved with an operational plant working beside a large construction site. The potential risk was the loss of life, regulatory non-compliance, liability issues, disruptions, execution problems, and the overall public relations of the job. As I think back on that growth period, I realize how much I needed help with the construction side of my responsibilities. I was swamped with normal plant issues and I was overwhelmed with the dynamic nature of construction.
I needed a Client Safety representative or an “Agent for the Client” that could help administer three critical phases of contractor safety management. The construction phase was temporary and I could have used a third party safety professional to help get my arms around the construction activity. An Agent for the Client is someone that can act on behalf of the client and assist with the safety governance of the project.
Client Safety Representative Services
Step One – Initial Contractor Safety Qualifications
Past history is a good indicator of future performance. Based on that principle, it is imperative that companies have a robust contractor safety pre-qualification process. Peak Safety Performance can help review each contractor’s safety performance and measure them by your standards.
Step Two – Contractor Safety Alignment
Provide contractors with all of the appropriate rules, procedures, and policies. Meet with them face to face so that you can review your expectations with them. This is an opportunity to establish a working relationship and clarify confusion. Peak Safety Performance can facilitate the process.
Step Three – Contractor Safety Performance Measurement & Monitoring
Audit your processes and score contractor performance. If you measure contractor safety performance with a consistent scorecard, you can improve performance through each phase of the project. Companies should track progress and hold the contractor management team responsible for improvement. Peak Safety Performance can lead the process.
Contact Peak Safety Performance to learn more about our contractor safety leadership workshops and contractor safety alignment services.