COVID-ready Contractor Management

The threat from COVID-19 is obvious to most people. Not only is it a danger to all members of staff and contractors, it also has the potential to shut down your business for a period if the virus gets into your workforce. This can have serious implications for the productivity and profitability of the business as well as the effect it can have on your reputation as a responsible employer.

In order to protect your business, your employers and your contractors, you need to ensure that:

• you are fully aware of all government and state legislation and guidelines
• you are kept fully up-to-date with changes to any regulations that affect you
• there is a comprehensive COVID plan in place and that this plan is updated regularly with changes and distributed to those that need to see it
• all risks have been identified and assessed, with measures put in place to mitigate or prevent them
• site inductions include necessary COVID training and awareness of the plan
• site visits and tracing are being recorded.
• any contracts are adjusted as necessary to incorporate changes due to COVID needs
• all contractors are fully aware of their responsibilities and the potential hazards they have to contend with
• adequate PPE is provided to and worn by all relevant employees and contractors
• measures are put in place to ensure provisions are being adhered to.

Dealing with contractors and keeping them safe will be an integral part of your COVID planning. This will include gathering all information on contractor activity, ensuring COVID requirements are part of their induction and checking that contractors meet their obligations fully. There will need to be constant monitoring of performance, identification of COVID cases and ensuring those affected are traced and isolated for the recommended period.

A Contractor Management Software that is cloud-based and incorporates automated features will enable effective administration by:

• allowing rapid changes to be made to the COVID plan that can be posted online so the latest version is always available to everyone in a clear and unambiguous manner and there is no confusion or duplication
• message board notifications and acknowledgments to COVID-19 requirements.
• integration to aligned systems
• ensuring all contractors are fully inducted and are not allowed on site until they are aware of what’s required of them
• knowing that everyone has adequate PPE that’s effective for the role they undertake
• identifying all risks, the actions required to mitigate or prevent them and that there is full compliance by all contractors
• having the ability to conduct spot checks through a mobile app so that adherence to policies and procedures is known
• creating a safe environment for everyone with the ability to constantly monitor that environment
• ensuring full transparency by recording all relevant events and producing comprehensive audit reports.

LinkSafe will help you to create a working environment that’s as safe as it can be for employees, contractors and visitors of all types. Whilst the management of safety is always important, it’s particularly crucial at the time of a pandemic and, with our management, induction and online training software to help, you can be sure you’re as prepared as is possible.