My contractor has told us that our architectural firm needs a safety plan for our business? Is this true?
There are a few different templates on the marketplace, is there one that is better than the other.
essentialagent Answered question
Two different things often get mixed up here:
- A site-specific safety plan is normally the general contractor’s (or prime contractor’s) responsibility. They control the site, so they write it and everyone on site follows it. Your firm shouldn’t need to write one for their site.
- Your own health and safety policy and program is your firm’s responsibility as an employer. In most jurisdictions, once you have employees you need a written policy, and larger firms need a full program. For example, in Ontario a written policy is required once you have six or more workers.
For an architectural firm, that usually means a short policy plus procedures for staff who visit sites: site orientation, PPE, working alone and reporting incidents. Ask your contractor what specifically they want to see, as they may just need confirmation that your staff follow their site rules.
If you do need a plan, the Construction Site Safety Plan Template is a good starting point. There’s also a tutorial on the responsibilities of a prime contractor that explains who’s on the hook for what.
essentialagent Answered question