Page 23 - IGC BOOK

Contracted work carries risks in that workers may be unfamiliar with the workplace and work
may be organised such that activities conflict with each other putting contractors or workers at
risk. It is therefore essential that all contracted work be effectively planned and co--‐ordinated.
This will include conducting appropriate risk assessments of work activities, foreseeing how the
activities and parties involved in the work interact with each other. The risk assessments would
lead to the development of plans and statements of how the work is to be conducted and co--‐
ordinated.

Definitions

Client

A person or a firm who engages service of a contractor or other professional person or
company.

Contractor

A person or a firm that undertakes a contract to perform certain work independently on behalf
and not under the direct control of the client.

Shared Duties

Many of the health and safety problems arising from contract work result from:
• Poor selection of contractors.
• poor planning and agreement over the method of carrying out the work.
• Poor communication and sharing of information regarding the risks created by each
party & the precaution that should be taken.
• Lack of monitoring from both the parties

Client Responsibilities (Employer to Contractor)

The Client, as an employer, has responsibilities regarding

• Address the risk to the safety of its employees.
• Address the risk to the contractor’s employees arising from premises / plant / equipment
/ activity.
• Address risk to the public / others arising from the work.

Contractors Responsibilities (Contractor & Sub--‐Contractor as Employer)

In general, the contractors and Sub-contractors, as employers, have responsibilities regarding:

• Address the risk to their own employees arising from the work.
• Address the risk to the client employees arising from the work.
• Address the risk to the client arising from the work.
Every organisation use contractors to carry out various types of work activities. It can be simple

work – floor cleaning, or complicated work – excavation, welding in a confined space.
The effective management of contractors by the client can be broken down into the following

ENSIGN| Unit IG1 – Element 1 – Why We Should Manage Workplace Health and 15
Safety