Are you a contractor?

What does contactor mean?

A contractor can be any organization or individual that works with construction workers, either hiring them or just engaging them, and controls and manages the construction work. The term contractor also covers any sub-contractor, individual, trader or a self-employed person.

What is the reasonability of the contractor at the contractor site?

The contractors and their construction workers are considered to be the most vulnerable group when it comes to workplace injuries. Therefore the contractor must always keep the safety on the construction site at a highest level. They need to plan, allocate and supervise the work and cooperate with the other parties involved, if any. They need to have full control over the risks and know how to mitigate them in order to provide safe working environment for themselves and the people around them.

When does the contractor start work?

The contractor starts work in the moment they get the project. They should be involved in the project from a very early stage as that will give them enough time to make a plan for the work ahead and make sure that the environment is safe for work. The plan must be recorder at the start covering every detail of each phase. If the project involves more than one contractor, then the construction phase plan should be created by the principal contractor. All other contractors must cooperate and provide all relevant information required for the plan. The plan should correspond with the complexity of the project and the contractor should put great effort into it to be able to cover every important aspect.

What kind of skills, experience and knowledge the contractor must have in order to be able to carry out the work properly?

Every contractor must have very strong organization skills, in depth knowledge and extensive experience in the construction work, to be able to ensure safe working environment and proper working conditions.

The contractor is also the one who needs to decide when a new member should join the team so they must know how to choose the right person wisely. The new member of the team must have the skills needed for the job, experience, knowledge as well as training to be able to perform in accordance with the needs of the project. All the elements that the new member of the team must have should be in accordance with the complexity of the work they would be required to do.

The skills, knowledge, experience and the training, if applicable, can include the following:

• Records of training sessions in which the worker took place and records of continued professional development
• Membership or relevant professional bodies
• References from previous employers where the worker was engaged on similar projects

Some examples that can be used to demonstrate the strong organizational capabilities of the worker might include the following assessments:

• Self-assessment of the worker following step by step the standard health and safety pre-qualification questions that are given in the Publicly Available Specification PAS 91
• Assessment services from a third party, which refers to people who are members of Safety Schemes in Procurement Forum

According to these definitions are you a contractor?