Hi All This is my first post, although like lots of others I guess that I have been viewing threads on here for quite a while. My question is what practical approach have you taken with regards to engaging sub-contractors that are 'one man bands' or employee less than 5. My problem is that as a Facilities Services Provider we engage with many specialist sub-contactors. We operate a sub-contractor approval process which has been split into 2 sections. Section 1 contains info that we see as mandatory which is currently : Company Info (Name/Contact/Trade Description) Who is the Director with H&S Responsibilites Who provides the competent safety advice Are they external / internal Evidence for competent safety advisor (ie CV/Qualifications) Evidence of public / product liability insurance Copy of H&S Policy (complete not just statement) Example RAMS Info relating to any HSE Prosecutions / Notices If the provide all this info sufficient then they become approved. Section 2 seeks more evidence including: ISO 9000, 14000, 18000 certification Accreditaions Training Records Accident Stats with the proviso being the more evidence they submit the higher they score which leads them to be higher on the preferred list. (this being a bit of a carrot to encourage subbies) The problem is how do I do all that is reasonable when engaging <5 employee subbies that do not need to document their policy / RAMS etc. I want to use these firms as I believe that they can offer a great service (they generally are specialist in their field and 'know their onions' as well as us being able to support local businesses). I am sure we have all been witness to the multi-national firms that have everything on paper but still fail to work safely. An example is that we have a one man locksmith. Apart from seeking his insurance and technical competence what else should I request? The form has come back with n/a against most sections apart from insurance on their application. Apologies for the long thread but wanted to show what we currently do and where the one man band fits into it Thanks In Advance Richard

We engage a 'one man band' regularly. Our approach has been to check on his insurance. He is trusted as his work has, over a number of years, been to the highest quality. I helped him to complete his risk assessments.

richv Our company approach has been to hold interviews with prospective sub contractors, and then offer to assist them with the elements that are missing, normally the RA,MS,CSCS,PPE, they then feel, as we are helping, obliged to comply with what we ask/require from them in respect to H&S. This approach has been beneficial to both parties.

Hi Richv, This is a subject that I have struggled with as I work for a large corporation but we sub out to one man bands. The problem is our clients expect everyone to have SMSTS/SSSTS etc but in this instance its not really practicable. Some of these one man bands work twice as hard as the big boys and do a much better job to boot so I have been quite reluctant to adopt any strict approach. What I have done which you may find useful especially with regards to the RAMS I have generated a RAMS document that is completed at the start of each day on site by the sub contractor. This document is provided to them in a triplicate book of which I receive a copy, the office keeps a copy on file and the subbie keeps a copy for their files. I held a 1/2 day training course on the completion of these documents and stressed that they are hand written on the start of each day and additional documents are written when required. This is still very much in its infancy but the subbies were positive about the document and I have helped them out with all the generic stuff the PC are requesting 6 weeks before were attending site. Its a lot of work for me but it could be worth it in the end

Just to be clear, I'm suggesting that you insist all your contractors be satisfactorily and currently assessed by CHAS (or other scheme of your choosing) as a condition prerequisite of being on your "list". This will take a significant burden from you and give your contractors a transferable commercial assessment, all of which together should help to 'raise the bar' across the wider industry.

I think you have had some good advice for initial seelction except possibly for the CHAS stance. The real key is the assessment during and after each job. You need to really look at on site performance with such as supervision attitudes, responsiveness to instruction, attendance on site, ability to manage changes etc as this will give guidance for future work Bob