Guidelines for Hiring a Contractor

You need to hire a contractor.

If you are lucky, you may have a choice of several.

So how do you select the best one to get your job done without delays, poor workmanship, or starting a fire?

Any contractor who sets foot on your site needs to be bonded and insured.

You also need to find out his or her insurance experience modification (EM) rate.

The EM is set by the insurer and is a method of comparing that employer to the industry average.

If the employer has more claims than average for that type of work, the EM will be greater than one (such as 1.74 EM).

If the employer has fewer claims, the EM will be less than one (such as 0.42 EM).

Some people stop here, but let�s be honest.

Some very unsafe people are inordinately lucky.

If the company you are thinking of using falls into this category, the EM will be low.

But you need to check a little further.

Ask about references.

Of course, you will be given a list of their best experiences, but if the jobs the prospective contractor references are all recent and the references are all good, this is a real good indicator.

Contractor Orientation

After you have selected a contractor, take the time to make sure all of his or her employees are aware of the special constraints of working at a grain or feed facility.

You need to have a meeting with the contractor to review the scope of the work and insist that all employees receive a contractor safety orientation detailing the hazards specific to the grain and feed industries.

This orientation needs to be documented, and you need to have a copy of the signed orientation attendance sheet.

What needs to be covered in the orientation?

That will vary, depending on the job.

Items that should always be on the list include:

� Smoking and tobacco use.

� Hot work permits and approved hot work areas.

� Material safety data sheets and hazard communications.

� Disaster plans including who is responsible for the contractor�s fire extinguishers.

� Required personal protective equipment.

� Lockout/tagout.

� Tool inspection and restrictions (explosion-proof, non-sparking, etc.).

� First aid and accident reporting.

� Ladders, scissor hoists, scaffolding, and fall protection.

� Housekeeping and chemical disposal.

� Guarding � machine and handrails.

� Alcohol and drug use and the consequences.

� Electrical safety.

� Firearms and fighting/horseplay.

� Battery and pneumatic tool operation.

� Employee discipline for safety and other infractions.

Depending on the job, you may need to add to the list such items as:

� Cranes.

� Confined space entry.

� Alarm systems/evacuation plans.

� Interlocking equipment.

� Restricted areas (such as oil extraction equipment).

� Other items specific to your location.

� Fork trucks, payloaders, and related equipment.

Communication

Daily communication with the contractor is critical.

Daily meetings prevent small issues from becoming large issues.

Designate a limited number of employees as official contacts with the contractor, selecting employees who are knowledgeable about the project.

If you have multiple contractors and trades, you need to keep everyone informed on issues that may affect the scheduling of their work or cause safety concerns in the work area.

These scheduled meetings also will allow other issues to be discussed: Can they use your fork truck to unload material? Where can they put their gangbox? What happened to all their extension cords? Etc.

The contractors also should have their own safety meetings, if the job is of any duration.

One contractor I have worked with held the safety meeting just before paychecks were distributed.

They never had an issue of people not showing up!

Make sure you get a copy of the safety meeting report, including topics covered, date, and who attended.

Undocumented Workers

One last note.

It has always been an issue to have employees with proper work documents.

If you have immigrants working for you, be sure they have the proper work cards.

Even in distant North Dakota, employees from South America have been deported for not having the proper work visa.

If you have a contractor who uses employees whose primary language is not English, make sure that those employees are gettting the information they need to do the job safely.

Also, make sure they have enough understanding of the language to comply with emergency instructions.

A good contractor allows you to concentrate on your job.

Planning on the front end will help you hire the right contractor, get the job done on time, limit cost overruns, and have a safe job site for everyone.

Written by Lynn Larsen, president of Safety Solutions Inc., a safety and equipment consulting firm in Christine, ND; 701-469-2315.