You will need to satisfy yourself that the contractor you choose can do the job safely and without risks to health. This means making enquiries about the competence of the contractor-do they have the right combination of skills, experience and knowledge? The degree of competence required will be dependent on the work. Similarly, the level of enquiries you make should be determined by the level of risks and the complexity of the job.
Examples of questions you could ask potential contractors include:
- what arrangements will you have for managing the work? For example, who will be responsible, how will the work be supervised, what checks do you make on equipment and materials etc.?
- will you be using subcontractors and if so how will you check they are competent? The level of competence for subcontractors will depend on the risk and the complexity of the work
- what is your recent health and safety performance? For example, how many accidents and cases of ill health have you had, has HSE taken any action taken against you?
- do you have a written health and safety policy? (This is only a requirement if five or more people are employed.)
- can you provide existing risk assessments done for similar jobs? Again, written risk assessments are only required by law if five or more people are employed
- what qualifications, skills and experience do you have in this type of work?
- what health and safety information and training do you provide for your workers?
- do you hold Public Liability insurance? And Employers’ Liability Insurance?
- can you supply Risk Assessments and Method Statements for the activities you will be undertaking (RAMS)?
- are you members of any professional trade bodies?
These questions will help you find out whether the contractor is complying with their duties under health and safety law. You can then decide how much evidence is needed to support what you have been told. The University requires all contractors to provide the necessary paperwork as evidence of compliance. Risk Assessments must be specific and include all the risks identified in the risk assessment and the measures needed to control those risks. This allows the job to be properly planned and resourced.
