Worker safety is paramount. In organizations where contractors make up a large proportion of the workforce, having the right tools can be the difference between “0 days since our last accident” and “world-class leader in workplace safety”.
Between the massive influx of data now available and the requirements to ensure employees are well protected, the right tools are no longer a luxury – they have become a necessity.
Here are four tools that can help you keep your workers safe.
A Prequalification Tool
Companies don’t always have the time or capacity to specialize in managing contractor compliance. With so many aspects to consider, including correct qualifications and certifications, individual insurance policy expirations and safety training requirements, it can take your team a lot of time to ensure you have fulfilled your due-diligence responsibilities. Fortunately, software as Cognibox can make the task easier.
A pre-qualification tool will allow you to identify the best contractors for your project and help you complete any and all qualification processes you need to go through before work can begin. By keeping all this valuable information in one place you set yourself up for efficiency, productivity and, as a result, success.
A Risk Management Tool
According to the Canada Labour Code, employers have a duty to ensure that the health and safety of every person employed by the employer is protected while they are working. Having a tool to help you identify and mitigate the risks specific to your organization not only helps you live up to this obligation, but also proves to your workers that you take their safety seriously.
A risk management tool can help you keep track of work permits as well as any special equipment or training that might be required for your projects. Some tools can also analyze the risks inherent in a specific worksite and identify contractors who have the proper training and permits to carry out the work.
A Workplace Management Tool
It might be a difficult task to have contractors to diligently check in and out of your site but having an ongoing tally of where your people are in the event of an accident is crucial. It is also important from a worker’s perspective so that they can know who is on site or in an area where they are working when they are operating equipment or performing a task that might put others in danger.
At particularly dangerous sites it can be useful to have a tool that limits the personnel who have access. Workplace management tools can help you keep track of who is authorized to work where and can also monitor who is on site and all times – an incredibly useful feature for emergency preparedness.
An Evaluation Tool
It’s a well-known adage that knowledge is power, and for good reason. Knowing how a project went is a crucial first step to doing it better the next time. A well thought out evaluation process gives workers the opportunity to assess their performance and learn ways to improve. This keeps workers engaged and offers you the opportunity to communicate important information to make sure your work environment is a safe and productive one.
Read more: Performance Evaluation: A neglected part of contractor management
