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Engagement of contractors
Most events require the engagement of contractors to provide a range of goods and services. Common types of goods and services include:
- food and beverages
- security
- construction and site management
- lighting and public address
- ticketing
Larger events may also require services such as broadcasting.
Contractors often play an important role in the operation of an event. While the event organiser may outsource many of these roles to transfer some of the liability risk, the duty of care under the OHS Act is non-transferable.
It is therefore a requirement of event organisers to have good systems in place to manage the selection and management phases of the contractors’ engagement. Some of the key issues to be aware of when engaging contractors are outlined below.
Contractor selection phase
When considering outsourcing a service to a contractor, the following should be included in your review.
- Previous performance
Check the history of the contractor: what relevant experience do they have and how did they perform?
- Qualifications
Are they qualified and competent to deliver the tasks they’re engaged to deliver?
- Commitment to safety
Can the proposed contractor demonstrate commitment to safety?
- Do they have a safety management plan?
- What is their injury record?
- Has their safety plan been audited?
- What were the results?
- Cost
Cost is an important consideration, however, all of the factors discussed in this section should be part of the evaluation criteria. The appointment of contractors purely on cost can lead to unsafe work practices. The result is that the event organiser may have increased liability exposure to fines, penalties and prosecutions from the expected lower safety standards of the contractor.
- Industry standards
What are the standard safety practices in the industry?
e.g. Is a request for safe work method statements common for sound riggers at a concert?
- Insurances
Do they carry appropriate workers compensation and pubic liability insurance?
- Understanding the task
Can the contractor demonstrate that they understand the tasks required and can they do so safely? Depending on the nature of the work, this may require the contractor to submit a safety plan or safe work method statement.
- Sub-contractors
Does the contractor intend on sub-contracting some of the functions? If so:
- What are the qualifications of the sub-contractors?
- Have they provided job safety analyses?
- Have they received any safety training?
Once a contractor is selected they must be managed.
Contractor management phase
Many industries, apart from events, have useful resources and tools for which event organisers can adopt in managing contractors. For example, the construction industry has useful contractor management systems, as do the hospitality and security industries.
Once a contractor has been engaged, the following should be considered.
- Staff induction / Kick-off meeting
To familiarise the contractor with site rules, emergency procedures and hazards that may affect them.
- Expectations
Ensure the contractor is clearly briefed of the event organiser’s expectations in relation to safety.
- Timelines
Clearly identify the timelines to which they must comply - particularly those that have a potential impact between event phases (e.g. from construction to operations).
- Permits to work
A good way to control the movement of contractors on and off the venue is to arrange a permit to work program. The contractor must be issued a ‘permit to work’ by the event organiser before activity can commence. This system is often used for particularly hazardous work, such as confined spaces or with hot work e.g. welding.
- Supervision
Contractors must be supervised to ensure that they supply their goods or services in a safe manner.
- Audit
Depending on the nature of work being undertaken by the contractor, it may be of value to audit the contractor. If the contractor was required by you to demonstrate safe systems of work, then an audit should be conducted against the controls that they have documented.
- Maintaining the ability to act
The event organiser should consider practical ways of maintaining the ability to take action against contractors who breach their contractual conditions that relate to safety.