Contractor Management Leadership

‍High-risk industries require leadership and a proactive approach to promoting a positive safety contractor work culture.

With the potential for severe consequences, high-risk organizations that take a proactive stance tend to get better outcomes with their contractors, employees, and the public.

Organizations can influence safety culture in a positive way by implementing the following strategies. These critical areas of contractor and safety management leadership contribute to better performance.

Anticipate and Plan for the Work Conditions

Proactive prime and general contractors identify the at-risk behaviors and the conditions their contractors face so that prevention actions are developed.

While many organizations and industries will have unique at-risk behaviors and conditions, a few are more common across industries. These include:

• Fatigue can be an issue in industries where employees work long or irregular hours. This can be particularly dangerous for construction, healthcare, and transportation workers. Employers need to be aware of the hazards of fatigue and take steps to ensure that their employees are adequately rested and ready to perform their job duties safely.

• Stress. Many people in high-risk industries experience stress as a regular part of their job. However, high stress for sustained periods can lead to burnout, which harms productivity and worker well-being. And at an alarming rate in some industries like energy production and construction. Employers that identify mental health stressors and adjust the workplace to lessen or eliminate their impacts save their human and financial resources.

• Substance abuse is an issue that many organizations must tackle, particularly those in industries with a higher risk of injuries, such as construction and manufacturing. Employers must ensure their employees are free from substances that could impair their judgment and lead to dangerous situations.

Develop a Training and Education Plan

One of the best strategies for dealing with at-risk behaviors is to provide practical and thorough employee training and education. This can help employees better understand their potential risks and learn how to mitigate or avoid them.

It can also help employees develop and maintain the skills they need to perform their job safely and effectively.

By addressing potential risks and teaching employees how to avoid or mitigate them, organizations can create a safer work environment for all. There are a few things to remember when developing a training and education plan:

• Conditions: Identify the conditions your employees face and provide training on anticipating changes that can result in hazards.

• Skills:  Provide training on your employees' skills to perform their job effectively and safely.

• Readiness:  Ensure your contracted employees are ready for the training, including having the required materials and knowledge.

• Delivery:  Tailor your training to your audience and choose the best delivery method for the learners.

Implement Safety Standards

Safety standards are protocols that help contractors identify and avoid potential hazards on your worksites. They can include everything from guidelines for handling dangerous materials to best practices for safe lifting. By implementing standards, your organization can help ensure your contracted workforce is prepared to deal with risks and avoid incidents.

There are a few things to keep in mind when implementing safety standards:

• Legislative compliance is the floor. Legal compliance is the foundation of all safety standards. Many industries go beyond the minimum legal standards by publishing voluntary Industry Consensus Standards or Best Practices. Checking with your local or regional industry association is an excellent first step to nudge the bar higher.

• Establish clear expectations - Ensure contractors understand what is expected of them, including when and how to follow the standards.

• Communicate the standards – Start at onboarding with a site-specific orientation. Periodically check that the workers know the standards and how to access them when needed.

• Review and update - Safety protocols should evolve with new technologies and legislative changes, so review and update them as necessary.

Address Risks Proactively

One of the best ways to improve safety culture is to address hazards before they become an issue. This can help prevent potential incidents and reduce the need to correct behaviors after an injury or other loss event. There are a few things to remember when proactively managing risk:

• Use data to identify potential risks and then create strategies for addressing them. Information from field inspections, focused observations, and incident reports can guide your efforts.

• Engage your contractors in the risk-prevention process. Get worker buy-in for the strategies, and ensure they have an impactful role in creating them.

•  Focus on prevention, not punishment. The best way to deal with at-risk behaviors is to prevent them from becoming an issue in the first place. Constructive coaching to prevent incidents is more effective than disciplinary action after an incident.

Promote Psychological Safety

One of the best ways to create a culture of safety in your contracted workforce is to promote psychological safety. Psychological safety is the shared belief within an organization that it is safe to express opinions without fear of negative consequences.

By creating an inclusive dialog around safety and well-being, organizations can help contractors feel comfortable sharing their ideas, concerns, and recommendations for improvement. The result is a better workplace culture.

Engage Employees in Safety Discussions

Another strategy for dealing with at-risk behaviors is engaging workers in one-on-one discussions about risks related to their work. Workers benefit when they have a voice. Discuss potential risks while promoting a culture of safety and well-being. For example,  supervisors and executives greatly impact individual workers when regularly engaging with them in safety-focused discussions.

There are measurable supervisory inputs to the contractor management systems established for the worksite. Consider the critical behaviors of your contractor's supervisors and management. Then set performance goals for their safety-related tasks and worker interactions.

Assess and Evaluate Your Safety Standards

Another effective strategy for dealing with at-risk behaviors is regularly assessing and evaluating your safety protocols. Doing so can help you identify gaps in your standards and create plans for closing them. World events, technology, and social policy all affect the workplace. For example, many organizations are adopting policies for severe weather events and workplace violence. Anticipate changes, listen to the marketplace, interact with your stakeholders, and proactively adjust your standards and operations.

Conclusion

There are multiple strategies an employer can take to build the safety culture of their contracted workforce. Focusing on the management systems that help reduce or eliminate risk are steps in the right direction. Proactively managing risk, training contractors, implementing standards, and giving workers ownership of the day-to-day safety systems will all improve the safety culture.

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