What can be done to select competent contractors?

Companies need to ensure that the contractors they engage have the skills and knowledge to carry out the contract to the required standards without risks to health and safety. Examples for assessing whether a contractor is competent includes:

·        Evidence of experience in the same type of work

·        References from previous clients which are checkable

·        Accident/ill health statistics

·        Qualifications, skills and ongoing training programmes including health and safety training

·        How they will do the work i.e. Risk Assessments and Method Statements

·        Criteria for selecting sub-contractors

The selection of sub-contractors is more often left to the contractor, the same assessment criteria as above can be applied.