Contractor OHS Management

Policy

This policy outlines the occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements in schools associated with the management and monitoring of contractors engaged by the school or via central areas of the department and the works or services they undertake.

Summary

• Schools, so far as is reasonably practicable, are to provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to health, including when work is undertaken by contractors.
• Schools are strongly encouraged to engage contractors to undertake high-risk work within the school.
• The principal or their delegate must manage OHS risks associated with engaging contractors and ensure that contractors are provided with a relevant OHS induction.
• Except in the case of certain capital works projects managed by the Victorian School building Authority (VSBA), the principal or their delegate are responsible for ensuring that all contractors meet the requirements mentioned in this policy and that any OHS risks associated with the contractors’ activities are eliminated or reduced.
• All paperwork required by this policy must be completed by contractors prior to them commencing work on site.
• For all contactor engagements, principals or their delegates must also follow the Working with Children Checks and other Suitability Checks for School Volunteers and Visitors policy which includes information on all suitability checks including Working with Children Checks (WWCC), and any child safety related induction and training as outlined in the school’s Visitor’s policy, Child safety and wellbeing policy, and Child safety responding and reporting obligations policy.
• Records must be maintained and stored on the Asset Information Management System (AIMS), local computer networks or in hard copy in accordance with the Records Management policy.
• Central and regional offices provide a range of supports and services to assist principals and employees to be safe and well, including access to the OHS Advisory Service and the Statewide OHS Services Team who can provide free advice on managing risks related to contractors.

Details

A contractor is a service provider or individual who is not a direct employee of the department. Contractors provide services or works in relation to maintenance, construction and repair, or niche educational services such as cooking demonstrations, sports coaching and other activities.

Any contractor that is engaged by the school must be inducted and managed as per the process outlined in the procedure tab of this policy. Where contractors are engaged through the Victorian School Building Authority, refer to Chapter 1: Engaging Contractors and AIMS for more information.

Public Private Partnership (PPP) schools usually engage contractors through the facilities management contract of the private enterprise. If PPP schools wish to engage a contractor outside of the facilities management contract, this policy and procedure must be applied. PPP schools can contact the central PPP team for further advice (refer to the Resources tab).

Casual relief teachers (CRTs) are not included in this policy as their duties align with those who are directly employed in the teaching service. For information on CRT inductions and management, refer to the OHS Induction and Training Policy.

Roles and responsibilities for managing contractors on school sites

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic), managing the risks related to contractors is a shared responsibility between the department, the principal or their delegate, the contractor and school staff.

Department roles and responsibilities

The department must maintain, so far as is reasonably practicable, a safe and healthy working environment for contractors that prevents and reduces the risk of injuries while working on school site.

The department, in consultation with the relevant school, is responsible for the engagement and management of VSBA-led projects including but not limited to:

• the induction and management of contractors
• maintaining oversight of contractor work.

Principal or delegate roles and responsibilities

The principal or their delegate, in consultation with school staff who are or are likely to be affected, and the health and safety representative (HSR), where elected, must manage the OHS risk associated with engaging contractors by:

• ensuring that contractors are provided with a relevant site specific OHS induction and information
• ensuring that all contractors meet the requirements mentioned in this policy and that any OHS risk associated with the contractors’ activities are eliminated, where possible, or reduced
• maintaining oversight of work or services being carried out ensuring it is performed safely and to the expected standard.

Contractor roles and responsibilities

Contractors must take reasonable care for their health and safety and the safety of others who may be affected by their actions or omissions while at work, which includes when working on school sites.

Contractors must:

• sign into and out of the site (school reception or dedicated work area)
• comply with the school’s local visitor’s policy and if required by that policy comply with wearing the visitors pass or alternative identification as required
• complete required documents prior to beginning works or services (that is, induction documents)
• for high-risk work, complete and provide to the principal/delegate/worksite manager any required Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) and Confined Space Entry Permits – principals/delegates/worksite managers must sign these as sighted
• consult with the principal/delegate/worksite managers on the works or services being undertaken and report on progress as necessary
• raise any safety concerns, hazards, incidents or near misses immediately to the principal/delegate/worksite manager
• follow the reasonable direction of the principal/delegate/worksite manager and any other related local school policy or department policy (for example, but not limited to, Working with Children Checks and other Suitability Checks for School Volunteers and Visitors, Outdoor Activities and Working Outdoors, Prevention of Falls When Working At Heights).

Key requirements to manage contractors

Schools must:

• ensure contractors engaged by the school are selected by verifying relevant details (as per the Contractor OHS Management procedure in this policy) prior to the commencement of works or services
• inform all school-engaged contractors that prior to the commencement of any works or services, they are to report to the general office upon arrival at the school and sign in and sign out as per the school’s local Visitors policy (staff login required)
• record details of approved contractors engaged to complete any asset, buildings or grounds maintenance or construction work in AIMS, the Contractor Register or an equivalent template
• record all other approved contractors in the Contractor Register or an equivalent template
• call an immediate halt to any work or services that is being performed unsafely or not in line with any provided Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS)
• ensure all reported incidents involving contractors are logged on eduSafe Plus (staff login required) and investigated as per the Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies) policy.

Prior to the works or services beginning, the principal or delegate must review, sign off on, and keep record of:

• workers’ compensation and public liability insurance – refer to Insurance for Schools for more details
• relevant suitability checks in accordance with the department’s policy on Working with Children Checks and other Suitability Checks for School Volunteers and Visitors and local school policy requirements for those contractors who are to work with children
• any Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS), where required
• any Confined Space Entry Permits for any work or services in confined spaces.

The Contractor OHS Management Procedure (in the procedure tab) provides further detail for each of the above requirements.

Department supports for schools

Central and regional offices provide a range of supports and services to assist principals and employees to be safe and well. This includes access to the OHS Advisory Service and the statewide OHS services team, who provide free advice and onsite or remote support in relation to contractor OHS management in schools.

Definitions

Asset Information Management System (AIMS)
A web-based, centralised portal that has replaced schools’ existing asset information management systems. Approved tradespeople engaged to complete any asset, buildings or grounds maintenance or construction work can be recorded, viewed and managed in AIMS. Items such as Working with Children Checks, licence details and company certificates and documents such as Public Liability can be added to contractor profiles, and schools are automatically notified of upcoming documents expiry dates.

Contractors
Contractors include any service providers or individuals who are not direct employees of the department who are providing services or works in relation to maintenance and repair work and other contracted services engaged by schools such as cooking demonstrations, sports coaching and other activities including workshops and excursions.

eduSafe Plus
eduSafe Plus is the department’s online hazard and incident reporting and management application, accessible on the intranet. Staff log on to eduSafe Plus using their employee number and password. Note: Contractors do not have access to eduSafe Plus, however, can report issues to the principal or their delegate for entry into eduSafe Plus. eduSafe Plus also has an induction management function, where completed contractor inductions can be uploaded or digitally completed and stored.

High-risk work
Otherwise known as ‘high-risk construction work’, the following is mandated as high-risk work by the department. For assistance on any unlisted tasks, please contact the OHS Advisory Service. Please note that this does not include work that could be considered ‘high-risk’ from a Child Safe Standards perspective:

• where there is a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres
• on or next to roadways or railways used by road or rail traffic
• in, over or next to water or liquids where there is a risk of drowning
• at workplaces where there is any movement of powered mobile plant
• where there are structural alterations that require temporary support to prevent collapse
• in an area where there are artificial extremes of temperature
• on or near energised electrical installations or services
• involving a trench or shaft more than 1.5 metres deep
• on or near pressurised gas distribution mains or piping
• involving demolition
• involving a confined space
• on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines
• involving tilt-up or precast concrete
• on telecommunications towers
• involving diving
• involving removal or disturbance of asbestos
• in an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere
• involving the use of explosives
• involving a tunnel.

Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS)
A document that describes the high-risk work being performed, the health and safety risks associated with the work and the risk control measures that will be applied to ensure the work is carried out in a safe manner. a document that describes the high-risk work being performed, the health and safety risks associated with the work and the risk control measures that will be applied to ensure the work is carried out in a safe manner.

Related policies

• Asbestos Management
• Asset Information Management System (AIMS)
• Asset Management Roles and Responsibilities Framework
• Buildings and Grounds Maintenance and Compliance
• Capital Building Projects in Schools
• Confined Spaces
• Contractors – Insurance and Contract Arrangements
• Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies)
• Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Management in Schools
• OHS Consultation and Communication
• OHS Risk Planning and Management
• Prevention of Falls when Working at Heights
• Working with Children Checks and other Suitability Checks for School Volunteers and Visitors

Relevant legislation

• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic)