| Management of contractors |
As part of CEMEX UK’s drive for continuous health and safety improvement, a particular area of focus is the management of contractors.
Whilst larger projects are planned and controlled by the local operations management or under Construction, Design and Management (CDM) regulations, smaller, more routine works and breakdowns, are normally supervised by the site batcher.
Although all batchers attend safety road shows, monthly training sessions and regular tool box talks, the consistency of permits to work and the supervision of contractors remained a concern.
A small working party was tasked with developing a system to help improve the supervision of contractors. As a result, the ‘Management of Contractors’ manual was produced.
The manual includes:
- A pre-work check list.
- Task-specific crib sheets outlining common hazards.
- Control measures that must be applied both before and during the actual work.
The manual is designed to complement other tools such as site inductions, permits to work, hot work permits, worksafe, risk assessments and any method statements and safe systems of work supplied by the contractor.
The quality of permits to work completed by batchers has dramatically improved and there has been a noticeable improvement in the supervision of contractors across CEMEX UK’s sites. |