Unit NG1: Management of health and safety
Unit NGC 2: Risk Assessment
Appendices

Managing contractors effectively

Where clients use contractors there are shared responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of client and contractor workforces and anyone else who may be affected by the work. If not properly managed, accidents are likely.

Planning and co-ordination of contracted work

A contractor’s employees may possibly be at a greater risk than the client’s employees whilst working on the client’s site due to:

  • unfamiliarity with the client’s site
  • unfamiliarity with the client’s site rules and procedures
  • often contractors are used for high-risk activities
  • lack of appropriate training
  • poor supervision

Health and safety requirements should be written into the work contract, clearly defining each party’s responsibilities.

Pre-selection and ongoing management of contractors

civil engineer planning dam

The HSE advocates a five-step approach on how to manage contractors and ensure safe working. Click on the icons for more detail.

Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM) aims to integrate health and safety into the management of a construction project and for everyone involved to work together.

All projects (even those with just a single contractor) require…

  • Workers with the right skills, knowledge, training and experience
  • Contractors providing appropriate supervision, instruction and information
  • A written construction phase plan

Projects where more than one contractor is involved, in addition to the main requirements for all projects, require…

  • a principal designer
  • a principal contractor
  • a health and safety file

Duty Holders and their Duties

Click on each duty holder to learn more.

Drag and drop the boxes onto the CDM role you think it relates to. Check you’re answers by clicking the blue ‘check’ button.

Click the blue arrows to go fullscreen.

HSE Notification of construction projects

A project is notifiable to the HSE if the construction work on a construction site is scheduled to:

  • last longer than 30 working days and have more than 20 workers working simultaneously at any point in the project, or
  • exceed 500 person days

Where a project is notifiable, the client must give notice in writing to the HSE as soon as is practicable before the construction phase begins.

The easiest way to notify any project is to use the electronic notification form.

The client must ensure that an up-to-date copy of the notice is displayed in the construction site office, so it is accessible to anyone working on the site and can be easily understood. The form must be periodically updated where necessary.

Construction Project Information/Documentation

Summary Diagram of CDM Regs. 

Click on the diagram to enlarge.

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I think I have completed all questions in this section, but it will not mark as being completed.

Stockwell Safety (Administrator) 25th April 2023 at 11:20 am

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I have completed all the questions in the “Managing contractors effectively” section, but it will not mark it complete with a green checkmark on the left. I cannot see any questions in that section that I have not completed.

Stockwell Safety (Administrator) 25th April 2023 at 12:21 pm

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