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SafeTalk with SafeStart
SafeTalk with SafeStart
S10Ep14 Flex Series: Contractors and Subcontractors
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Struggling with the challenge of introducing SafeStart concepts to Contractors and Subcontractors? This episode has got you covered! Join us as we sit down with fellow consultant Leigh-Ann Stewart, who shares her insights on the importance of communication and our moral obligation to protect all workers, regardless of their status.
Host: Tim Page-Bottorff
Guest: Leigh-Ann Stewart
Hey , welcome back to SafeTalk with SafeStart . I'm Tim Page-Bottorff , all right , so you clicked on this episode because you've got contractors and subcontractors . You also know the value of SafeStart , so you've been trying to figure out how you're going to introduce those contractors to these concepts of course , the concepts of SafeStart . We've got a Flex U nit for you and we're going to continue on with the Flex Unit series . Joining me today to talk us through this task is fellow consultant Leigh-Ann Stewart . Leigh-Ann , welcome back to the podcast .
Leigh-Ann StewartHey , thanks , Tim . It's great to be back and thanks for the invitation . This is a challenging subject , so I'll do my best here today , but it is something that I think is important for us all to talk about . Many organizations hire subcontractors and contractors , and one of the first questions we often get asked is how do you justify financially running someone through SafeStart Now when you plan to employ them , perhaps just for a few weeks or maybe even just a few days ? The short answer is you don't . Unfortunately , it leaves you with possibly a communication gap . For instance , you might hear a contractor or the contractor might hear someone say hey , keep your mind on task from one of the employees , where there's a great SafeStart culture already developed and they might interpret it a little bit different than you intended . They might hear something like hey , what are you talking about ? Don't judge me and get back to your own work . Might be an awkward conversation .
Tim Page-BottorffI was thinking about it back to my Marine Corps days . I guess I don't recall hearing anything so polite as you just put .
Leigh-Ann StewartWell , I think drill instructors are certainly not known to be family-friendly . But if your contractor hears line of fire , can you imagine That would get their attention ? I think everyone can appreciate that . But there certainly is desire to make sure you have similar communication .
Tim Page-BottorffYeah for sure . You bring up two significant challenges and , of course , the first being justifying the investment of time and , candidly , money all of that money that's needed to do SafeStart training , I feel it which may lead to miscommunication You had just said that might lead to an injury or might even be worse . You might even get a performance error that could cost you even more time and money . What do you think ?
Leigh-Ann StewartYeah , absolutely Yeah . Well said , I also think that we have a moral obligation to protect all workers . So , regardless of their status if they're a temporary worker or contractor , subcontractor , at the very least we owe them an introduction on how we communicate safety around here .
Tim Page-BottorffIt's all a low sound . Yeah , that's good . I like the way you said that . That's where this unit , this Flex U nit , comes into play . It's really designed to introduce your contractors in your organization , to SafeStart concepts, and as Leigh-Ann pointed out , here , you got a great line of fire example . Sometimes it requires immediate action .
Leigh-Ann StewartYeah , for sure , Tim . And I just want to point out a few things . One , that , because this is Flex Unit , it follows the learning design of SafeStart Now And only those certified to instruct SafeStart Now can deliver it . Also , this unit is not suitable for a full course . Obviously , it's a bit foolish to think that you could teach all of the SafeStart skills in just one session . And also , you must have purchased an employee license for each of the full-time employees .
Tim Page-BottorffWell , thanks for that update . I do appreciate it . And for those of you that's not certified in SafeStart Now you could reach out to your Client Manager . They'll walk you through all of your options . And so let's kind of get down nitty-gritty the of this unit Leigh-Ann , I want you to talk a little bit about specifics of this unit .
Leigh-Ann StewartYeah , well , it's a great unit , first and foremost , and the participants are going to walk away with more awareness of the risks all around them , you know , not just in the workplace , but also at home and on the road , and they're going to have some insight into their own injury history I know that I'm always surprised at my injury history And they'll learn how to tell an effective SafeStart story , and we all know how important that is . This unit also focuses on identifying risk and personal awareness of the state-to-error risk pattern And , again , does not develop skills related to the Critical Error Reduction Techniques . That takes more time , but this short-term worker unit is delivered in a classroom setting . And just one session will improve their outcomes , will really help in the reduction of their injuries . Yeah .
Tim Page-BottorffI appreciate that, that was a good dive-in . And , Leigh-Ann , you kind of mentioned a moral obligation . I know safety professionals kind of feel that nobility . But it's also worthy of note that contractors come with a fair amount of risk to their job . What do you think ?
Leigh-Ann StewartYeah , absolutely , and I'm going to kind of talk about it from both sides . So I think , first of all , in one of the past organizations I did some work with , they hired a lot of contractors And you know it's really difficult for contractors to go into all these different environments and be safe . You know they might have be introduced to risk that they're not aware of . So you know having that as a challenge for the contractor themselves lends them to a greater risk of a possible injury . So that's one for them themselves . But there's also this you know they can hurt someone else on site because they're not aware of their surroundings . So , and we know that the state- to error risk pattern can cause injuries , but it can also cause damage or quality issues . So it's it's really important that the contractors get at least some awareness of the SafeStart concepts .
Tim Page-BottorffGood , and those are two valuable points . Thank you for that , and so now on to the subject of who actually picks up the cost of all of this . I know that we've both seen it both ways , so who do you think is supposed to pick this up ?
Leigh-Ann StewartNo , I don't want to touch this one , Tim , if that's all right . No , look , I think it's . Look , yeah , we have seen it both ways And some people put it in their bidding process where it's just , it's a requirement to gain access or to get the work , but also the host absorbing the cost . This I think we both agree that this is this is the best case scenario . It does two things . First , it demonstrates the commitment to safety by the hosting organization . But also contractors really appreciate the host , putting money where their mouth is . So they talk about be safe , but now they're actually investing in you , not just while you're at work but when you're at home . So it leads to a really good long-term commitment And I'd say it builds trust between the contractor and the organization .
Tim Page-BottorffInteresting that you say that I always think it a long-term commitments too . So , speaking of long-term commitments , let's talk a little bit about when you would run any contractor through the entire course , not just this Flex Unit , but the entire course .
Leigh-Ann StewartOh , both of those . Well , I mean I wish I had a magic number that I could tell you . but this is really there's so many variables to quantify how long I'm going to default and say you know , talk to your Client Manager . They're really helpful at helping you work through that and seeing what's best for you and your organization . But I can give you a sort of a good rule of thumb , and I like to think of it this way Contractors have earned the investment of the entire course , so whether it's three or six months that they've been on the job . but there really is too many variables . So it goes without saying that hopefully they 'll potentially become your number one go-to contractor and eventually give them the full course as soon as you can . But if you can't and you're testing them out , you know that F lex Unit is a perfect option for them .
Tim Page-BottorffYeah , thank you for that . I was just thinking that you know , sometimes they bring in contractors that take care of construction and mechanical work and electricity , but then also you also have this group of people who are hiring folks temporarily and they might even get hired to full time , And so , yeah , you might want to do the orientation , but then if you end up hiring a new employee through that contract or organization , then it might be time to take them through that full- blown Safe Start course And I appreciate the points that you gave us there , Leigh-Ann . That's it . Thank you for your time and thank you for sharing your wisdom with us today . I really do appreciate it .
Leigh-Ann StewartYou bet Tim, always a pleasure , thank you .
Tim Page-BottorffAnd on behalf of Leigh-Ann and myself and the entire team here at Safe Talk with Safe Start , thank you so much for spending some time with us And don't forget . remember to share this episode . I'm Tim Page , a botter for Safe Talk with Safe Start . We'll see you down the road .