UK: Avoiding the pitfalls of contractor management

A property developer’s legal responsibilities for the health and safety of contractors whilst working on-site are often misunderstood. In fact, poor management of tradesmen can result in civil claims for compensation, and in some cases, criminal prosecution.

Finding reliable contractors and ensuring they complete the job to a satisfactory level forms a vital part of the property developer’s role. However, if an accident occurs due to a property owner failing to ensure a contractor can work safely on their property, liability may lie with the property owner.

By following some basic principles and adopting a careful approach it need not be a cause for concern. Norwich Union provides some top tips on effective contractor management:

• adopt a structured approach to the selection of contractors including retention of an up-to-date list of approved firms
• Define all aspects of the work before beginning the selection process
• When selecting a tradesman be sure to ask what experience have they had in the work required? What is their health and safety performance, including the number of accidents etc? What relevant qualifications and skills do they have? Do they have an independent assessment of their competence? Are they a member of a professional body?
• Don’t just leave the contractor to get on with the job, establish early communication and liaise with them throughout the job
• Check contractors carry adequate employers’ and public liability insurance
• Request that contractors adopt formal procedures to ensure that works are carried out to appropriate health and safety standards
• Keep a record of incidents occurring during the works and review with the contractor to help improve performance
• More hazardous jobs such as work at height, hot work and structural work on buildings come with a higher risk. It is vital that in such cases the contractor’s work is thoroughly understood and monitored throughout.