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Bernie Quinn, CIH Jared Smith
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One of the most important components of any contract service project is contractor oversight.
When contract services are well thought out and executed, the project can be completed on time and
within budget; however safety is a key element in any contract process. Accidents can cause significant
delays to a project, not to mention costly. AM H&S provides contractor oversight services to assure
that all contractor work performed is in accordance with acceptable work practices. These practices
are identified by the client as well as by all federal, state, and local regulatory requirements.
The need for owner involvement directly or using a firm, such as AM H&S to track the contractors
performing work at the client site, is a true financial liability concern.
The magnitude and extent of third party construction safety and health observation varies according to the owner's needs and requirements. Below is an outline of various tasks associated with third party construction safety and health observation services. The client can select any individual task or a combination of tasks for AM Health and Safety, Inc to perform. Safety Program Review A Safety Program review is a review of the contractor's safety program, policies, and procedures to assure compliance with appropriate rules and regulations for the various tasks being performed at the project site. Injury and Illness Record Review To assure that programs provided by the contractor are adequate, AM H&S review the contractor's Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) injury and illness records. In the review process, AM H&S looks for trends in injury/illness types to determine if there are pre-existing conditions that may lead to increased costs to the client. For example, if there are a number of repetitive motion injuries and task being performed is repetitive in nature, AM H&S will advise the client of the potential issue and work to minimize the risk potential. Field Audits and Inspections Site visits are conducted to assure compliance with appropriate rules and regulations. These site visits can be random and/or scheduled. A list of deficiencies are identified and provided to the contractor and the client for corrective action. Copies of all reports and actions by the contractor are tracked by AM H&S until corrected. Program Development To assure compliance with appropriate federal, state or local requirements, AM H&S works with the client to review and/or develop programs and procedures that may be necessary. An example of these services may be the development of an excavation program for an underground tank removal, a unique confined space entry procedure, or lead paint removal procedure. Training and Education As directed by the client, AM H&S can provide training and educational programs. Programs covering topics such as general safety requirements, biological hazards, and hazard communication can be provided to all contractors and their on-site employees. Incident Investigation Support AM H&S provides incident investigation services ranging from conducting independent or team investigative services, root cause analysis; report coordination and corrective action follow up for all or designated incident types. These services can be provided under the Attorney/Client Privilege if necessary. Exposure Monitoring The nature of a specific task may warrant exposure monitoring of the contractor, background monitoring of the contractor, or background monitoring in the general work area to assure that the contractor and client employees are not being exposed to unnecessary harmful health hazards. Additional Support Depending on the nature of the work being performed; customized support, such as assisting clients' risk management and engineering departments in pre-approving contractors, is available. AM H&S clients can select any of the services outlined above that are appropriate for the task being performed by the contractor. The effectiveness of the services provided are related to the authority the client transfers to AM H&S, If AM H&S serves as an advisor with no authority to correct hazards, the pressure to perform is solely with the contractor. Granting AM H&S the authority to correct serious hazards may be the best alternative for a specific situation. Each contract is looked at independently along with the risk to employees and the client. |
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