Hi ive recently started a new job as a QHSE coordinator,one of the things we seem to struggle with as a company is making sure contractors provide adeququate welfare provisions for their employees on site. 

has anyone had any dealings with controlling this and maybe setting minimum expectations you expect for any contractor going onto site? 

(NEBOSH NGC qualified and looking to continue qualifications)

We help house builders with the process of the adoption process of highways, so getting the highways brought upto the adoption standard.

so making sure drainage, potholes, streetlighting and surface finish is all correct and upto standard.

It sounds like the contractors are working near new housing estates.  Is this at a stage where it is still a construction site with facilities that they might be able to use by arrangement?

If not it seems a site-specific welfare plan is needed for each job, first checking what facilities are publicly available in the area and perhaps building in time to avail themselves of them, or else setting up portable facilities at a cost that would need to be passed on to you as the client.  That would be the sticking-point, I suspect.

Originally Posted by: bhyslop

Originally Posted by: Ian Bell2

This should be covered in the project CDM construction phase plan.

Agreed, but im trying to set a standard to make sure it is followed, we can be on-site for around a month with diffirent contractors on site at diffirent times, we arent on site at all times and have attended site and had contractors tell us welfare facilities are arriving tomorrow with only a few days left on the job. 

So basically i need to figure out the best way to set a standard and controll this, part of me is thinking that we should purchase and control the welfare facilities for the period we are involved in the project and let all contractors under our control use these facilities. 

For clarity, you are attending a site where there is an established Principal Contractor in place on already established sites?

It is the responsibility of the PC to provide adeqaute welfare at all times. I would be speaking to their Safety Team and requesting answers why they are not complying with CDM. 

Originally Posted by: Kate

It sounds like the contractors are working near new housing estates.  Is this at a stage where it is still a construction site with facilities that they might be able to use by arrangement?

If not it seems a site-specific welfare plan is needed for each job, first checking what facilities are publicly available in the area and perhaps building in time to avail themselves of them, or else setting up portable facilities at a cost that would need to be passed on to you as the client.  That would be the sticking-point, I suspect.

usually the works are carried out prior to the houses being built. We are onsite as principal contractor and usually we would ask contractors onsite to sort out welfare facilities, but we have a problem controlling this as we arent on site 24/7.

Originally Posted by: Kate

Hm, I can't see your business agreeing to pay for this on someone else's construction site where it is the responsibility of the principal contractor.

Closer links with the principal contractor might be a way to improve matters.

We go onsite at the begining as principal contractor, this role i assume is then passed onto the house builders. so under CDM it is our duty to make sure adequte welfare facilities are on-site, this seems to then be passed down to each contractor on site. id like to get it to the point where we set up the welfare facilities for all contractors onsite to use for the period we are onsite. as currently i dont think we are doing enough.

sorry for being vague but ive only just started here so getting my head around all the information im being passed at the moment.

Originally Posted by: fhunter

Originally Posted by: bhyslop

Originally Posted by: Kate

It sounds like the contractors are working near new housing estates.  Is this at a stage where it is still a construction site with facilities that they might be able to use by arrangement?

If not it seems a site-specific welfare plan is needed for each job, first checking what facilities are publicly available in the area and perhaps building in time to avail themselves of them, or else setting up portable facilities at a cost that would need to be passed on to you as the client.  That would be the sticking-point, I suspect.

usually the works are carried out prior to the houses being built. We are onsite as principal contractor and usually we would ask contractors onsite to sort out welfare facilities, but we have a problem controlling this as we arent on site 24/7.

If you are Principal Contractor you should providing this and also have on site management in place for the entire duration of your appointment as PC. 

Agreed, i now need to put a plan in place to make sure we do this and it is controlled, we do attend site for the duration we are PC but might not be there on a daily basis, we have contractors on site that we trust to carry out the works. 

id just like to say thank you for all the replies, sorry my post is vague. im currently trying to get my head around the whole process. 

I still need to learn alot about the company and the way they work, but ive been told we act as principal contractor, but this is only for a short period to make sure the highways are in a fit state for the house builders.

this being teh case i think we should have welfare facilities onsite at the begining of the contract until the day all our contractors and ourselves leave site. 

A tip about trusting contractors :-)

Never trust contractors!