A better way to onboard and manage contractors

In the past decade, the EHS field has seen a major shift towards digital data management. Companies have embraced EHS software as an essential tool for managing regulatory compliance reports, training records, and other critical documents.

This rapid adoption of software has opened the market up to exciting innovations in EHS compliance. But there are still many pain points without comprehensive solutions. One such area is contractor management.

Onboarding contract workers is a tedious process that requires countless hours and dollars which would be better spent elsewhere. And it’s a high-stakes area of regulatory compliance. Without proper contractor onboarding and training, facilities are more exposed to major safety incidents, citations, and process inefficiencies.

Most businesses rely on EHS staff or third-party companies to handle their contractors’ training requirements. But even outsourcing these efforts doesn’t eliminate much of the back-end work needed to ensure contractor compliance with 100% certainty.

Frontline Contractor Safety Management (CSM) tackles this problem by removing barriers and giving businesses control over how they onboard and manage contractors.

The traditional approach

While regulatory agencies require employers to notify contractors of workplace hazards, they don’t outline the exact process for doing so. That means that businesses have flexibility when it comes to training compliance.

Across most industries, there are two main approaches to contractor training:

Onsite: Contractors go to the owner’s facility and complete video or instructor-led modules.

Offsite: Contractors go to a third-party location (ex. safety council) to complete class training.

A common misconception about onsite contractor training is that it costs less than the offsite alternative. But the truth is that companies typically incur the costs of training regardless of where those costs originate.

Businesses who perform onsite training must invest their own time and money to:

• Create course materials
• Schedule and track completion
• Train employees to conduct sessions
• Staff employees to conduct sessions

At the end of the entire process, the training costs that contractors charge in their project proposals are often equal to or less than the total cost of hosting sessions onsite.

So offsite contractor training is considered the industry best practice. It eliminates many of the variables associated with training contractors in-house and leads to the same outcome. But cost aside, the outsourced training approach still has many drawbacks.

Inefficiencies with the current training approach

Contractors must go through hazard orientation that is specific to the worksite. Companies that use safety councils and other third parties then have the issue of ensuring their contractors get site-specific hazard training. This means that it may take a while to find a training option that aligns with the site’s equipment, systems, and processes.

Another issue with offsite training is that it limits when contractors can complete their requirements. Because third parties run on their own schedules, they may not have training sessions available at convenient times.

With this approach, it can take days or weeks for individuals to travel to a training facility and complete their coursework. Businesses can help contractors find and schedule sessions, but offsite training gives companies less control over the timeline.

The logistics of coordinating contractor training with third parties can also create headaches onsite. If contract employees show up without the correct training, it can take a while to course correct and ensure they’re compliant. This ultimately draws out the training process.

Simplifying contractor training with web-based technology

With an understanding of how complex the contractor training process was for many of our clients, our team at Frontline set out to create a long-term solution.

The end result?

Frontline Contractor Safety Management (CSM)

This software system simplifies how companies onboard manage contractors by giving them total oversight of the process.

Schedule and track training requirements

Rather than outsource training to third parties, CSM gives businesses the flexibility to assign contractors courses and modules straight from the software program.

These workers can then complete courses remotely, ending the need for travel. When they’ve completed their requirements, CSM automatically updates their records. And that lets the employer know that they’re ready to show up to the worksite.

With less time spent on scheduling and traveling, workers complete their requirements faster and at a lower variable cost. Those cost savings have a long-term impact and reduce project delays, as well as all the inefficiencies that come with them.

Faster check-in

Frontline CSM gives employers the ability to see training compliance when contractors show up to a job site. Workers simply scan a QR code, and the mobile app pulls up their training records.

If workers have met the requirements, the company can allow them to enter the worksite. If they haven’t finished their training, the company can deny them access until they have.

A major benefit of this system is that contractors who haven’t passed the check-in process can complete their training remotely. So, instead of leaving and completing the requirements elsewhere, workers can finish modules from their vehicles or a designated waiting area.

Once they’re done, the system will automatically update so they can enter the facility and start work. For businesses that have facilities across many locations, this system revolutionizes the compliance process. It eliminates the headache of finding training providers in different locales and creates transparency across the entire organization.

Real-time hazard notification

This system also solves the issue of outdated hazard notification. When facilities make process changes that impact contractor safety, it can be hard (or sometimes impossible) to ensure that everyone is aware of the modifications.

With Frontline CSM, businesses can notify contractors of new hazards and assign more training from a central system. This reduces interruptions by giving employees the flexibility to complete their training from the comfort of their own home, vehicle, etc. Not only is this a game-changer for regulatory compliance, but it also creates a safer workplace for all workers—not just contractors.