SAFEcontractor is operated by international safety, health and environmental risk management specialists, the National Britannia Group. The system is applicable to most sectors although it is particularly relevant to food manufacture, property, facilities management, retail and leisure sectors, all of which are big users of contract services.
Darran Huges, Operations Director for SAFEcontractor at National Britannia said, “Major organisations can no longer run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies.”
“More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that Microdat has done. The firms’ high standard has set and example, which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector.”
Under the SAFEcontractor system, businesses undergo a vetting process, which examines health and safety procedures and their track record for safe practice.
Those companies meeting the high standard are included on a database, which is accessible to registered users only via a website, www.safecontractor.com.
Employer-organisations who sign up to the scheme can access the database, which enables them to vet potential contractors before they even set foot on site. These employers agree that, as users of the scheme, they will engage only those who have received accreditation.
Over 100 major nation-wide businesses, from several key sectors, have signed up to use the scheme when selecting contractors for services such as building, cleaning, maintenance, refurbishment or electrical and mechanical work.
