Contractor Safety Essentials
Multi-employer work-sites are a part of many organizations today. It can be as simple as hiring a contractor to do onsite repairs to a complete construction site with dozens of contractors and subcontractors. While the size and complexity may change, some of the basic tenets of risk, responsibilities and obligations always hold true. While each employer is always responsible for regulatory compliance and the safety of employees,
multi-employer sites add complexity to this with shared responsibilities, contracts,
hold-harmless agreements, and insurance terms, to name just a few.
For example, if a subcontractor gets injured at your work site while working on the HVAC system, who’s responsible? If that subcontractor wasn’t complying with regulatory requirements, who can be fined? These answers can vary and have serious repercussions.
Organizations invest significant time and resources in their safety programs, but these can be negated when not coordinated in a multi-employer work site situation. When all parties understand the proper requirements and need to coordinate safety programs, the likelihood of injuries, fines and penalties are reduced significantly. While it can seem like just one more thing to do in the course of business, the proper planning and implementation of work site safety in a multi-employer work site is imperative for all parties involved.
To help employers, contractors, and subcontractors deal with multi-employer work sites, The Southern Vermont Safety and Health Council will be presenting a panel of experts and a round table discussion in regards to this topic. This event will occur on January 21st at 8:30 a.m. To register visit: http://www.vshc.org/calendar/index.php or contact Chip Siler, csiler@chroma.com or by phone at 802-428-2595.
If you have further questions regarding this topic and are unable to attend this event, please do not hesitate to contact us at 877-352-2121.
