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Health and Safety - Contractor Management Procedure - General Contractors

This is not a current document. It has been repealed and is no longer in force.

Section 1 - Summary

(1) This Procedure:

  1. Defines the three different types of general contractors engaged by Victoria University (VU).
  2. Provides instruction on how to manage each type of general contractor at VU.
  3. Ensures that VU is not exposing general contractors or others to health and safety risks.
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Section 2 - Scope

(2) This Procedure applies across the University.

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Section 3 - Definitions

(3) VU Rapid Global Administrator - A VU staff member who is able to add contractors, verify their documentation and approve the contractors on the VU Rapid Global Software.

(4) Authorised Person - A person(s) with appropriate competency, technical skill and authority to issue work permits.

(5) Rapid Global - Software system that assists VU to manage contractors' OHS while working on VU premises or on VU's behalf.

(6) General Contractor Tier 1 - Services provided by contractors who work with or on the University's services, processes, equipment or buildings and/or they complete work involving the use of chemicals or machinery. Examples include but are not limited to:

  1. Servicing/maintenance/installation of equipment.
  2. Minor construction work.
  3. Monitoring of equipment.
  4. Cleaners and gardeners.
  5. Technicians servicing equipment.
  6. Delivery activities which are consistent with the above definition.
  7. Catering for major events that are consistent with the above definition.

(7) General Contractor Tier 2 - Services provided by a contractor where they work directly with students and / or members of the public. Includes consultants/ contractors who work in an office based environment. The work undertaken by these contractors is considered lower risk than work done by Tier 1 contractors. Examples include support in the following areas:

  1. Research e.g. medical practitioners.
  2. Sports Centre e.g. gym instructors.
  3. Lecture Theatres e.g. lecturers
  4. Office Support e.g. VC office, People & Culture, Student Office etc.

(8) Visitor - Services where providers are not in direct contact with the University's services, processes or equipment and/or the use chemicals or machinery. Examples include:

  1. Servicing vending machines.
  2. Photocopy machine technician.
  3. Telecommunication providers.
  4. One-off training session for new equipment.
  5. Performers, e.g. dancer, magician.
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Section 4 - Policy/Regulation

(9) See Health and Safety Policy.

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Section 5 - Procedures

Part A - Summary of Roles and Responsibilities

Roles Responsibility
Manager responsible for engaging Tier 1 & Tier 2 contractors - Classify the contractor according the contractor Definitions.
- Raise a purchase order prior to the contractor undertaking the work.
- Check if contractor is an approved contractor on Rapid Global.
- Ensure that a VU Rapid Global Administrator enters the new contractor's details onto Rapid Global if required.
- Ensure contractor has been approved on Rapid Global prior to commencing work - this includes the completion of relevant induction(s).
- Ensure an authorised person issues a Permit to Work for Tier 1 contractors as required.
- Ensure contractors working in an office based setting have completed a 'Computer Workstation Self Assessment Worksheet', and any controls identified are implemented.
Manager / Supervisor supervising Tier 1 contractor onsite - When required review the Safe Work Method Statement's / Job Safety Analysis with an authorised person to ensure they adequately reflect the tasks the contractor is engaged to complete.
- When required ensure that the ' Permit to Work ' issued for Tier 1 contractor activity prior to works commencing

VU Rapid Global Administrator		 - Check Contractor status as required and enter new Contractor's details onto Rapid Global as required.
- Review and verify documentation and approve contractors.
- Record details on Rapid Global of any contractor documentation that needs to be remedied.
Authorised Person(s) (see Permit to Work) - Be familiar with the intended task(s) to be completed by the contractor.
- Review the JSA/SWMS or equivalent, to ensure it has been completed based on the work to be done & how it interacts with VU (inspect the work area) - ensure details are recorded on JSA/SWMS and the Permit to Work Form .
- Ensure that the person(s) doing the work are appropriately qualified or competent to do the work.
- Ensure the area and equipment is made safe before commencing work.
- Ensure the work permit is provided to the person undertaking the work (the authorised person retains this when the work has been completed).
- Sign the permit before work commences and again when work is completed (after inspecting the area).
- Periodically check that the work being completed is in accordance with the work permit and JSA/SWMS.
- Maintain permit to work records (including associated JSA/SWMS) as required by the Permit to Work Procedure.
Procurement Hub - Verify Contractor's status on Rapid Global and advise the manager engaging the contractor as required.
Security - Ensure all Tier 1 Contractors and Visitors sign in and out of site by using the Rapid Access terminal and that they are issued with identification stickers and necessary keys / fobs).
- Security may refuse entry if contractors are not recognised as currently approved on Rapid Access (i.e. induction records & insurances etc. up to date).
- Escort contractors unfamiliar with site - or organise someone from the department they are visiting to pick them up from Security.
OHS Team - Provide assistance to managers engaging contractors to ensure that contractors are appropriately classified and that all health and safety documentation supplied by the contractors is satisfactory.
- Provide advice and support to the VU Rapid Global Administrators as required.
- Liaise with Rapid Global as required to ensure efficient operation of system.
- Maintain the list Rapid Global Administrators.
- Audit compliance to procedure as part of audit plan.

(10) The procedure for the engagement of general contractors varies according to the:

  1. type of work the contractor is undertaking;
  2. environment where the work is being undertaken;
  3. level of risk the contractor is exposed to; and
  4. level of risk that the contactor may create whilst undertaking the work.
The above factors have been considered in the definitions of the three different levels (i.e. 1, 2 or Visitor) of General Contractors - see definitions section for further details and examples.

(11) The manager responsible for initiating the contract needs to:

  1. classify the contractor according to the definitions; and
  2. follow the instructions (detailed below) for the particular classification.

(12) The Health and Safety Team should be contacted for further advice when the classification of services provided by the contractors are not easily identified and further clarification of the OHS risks involved in the contractor's work may be required.

Part B - Rapid Global Administration

(13) The process for managing the registration and approval of contractors at VU is undertaken by VU staff who are Rapid Global Administrators. Where appropriate the person initiating the contract can become a Rapid Global Administrator or a VU Rapid Global Administrator within their work area and can assist the person who is engaging a contractor. Contact VU Health, Safety and Wellbeing to become a Rapid Global Administrator.

(14) See Rapid Contractor Management Administrator User Guide for further details.

Part C - General Contractor Tier 1

(15) The manager engaging a Tier 1 Contractor -

  1. should raise a purchase order prior to the contractor undertaking the work; and
  2. ensure that the contractor is an approved VU contractor with current status.

(16) The contractor's status can be verified by requesting that either the Procurement Hub or a Rapid Global Administrator check the Rapid Global system. The contracting company's name and ABN are required. Contact the Facilities Department Rapid Global Administrator for assistance as required.

(17) If the contractor is an approved VU contractor with current status the purchase order can be processed.

(18) If the contractor is not an approved VU contractor they will need to be added to and approved on the Rapid Global system before the purchase order can be processed by Procurement. The contractor should not start until they have been approved through Rapid Global as this is the primary process for ensuring they are capable of doing the work safely.

(19) The VU Contractor Management process for Tier 1 Contractors involves the following 3 stages:

  1. Contractor registration and approval. This requires contracting companies to be added to the Rapid Global software and approved as a VU Contractor.
  2. Contractor online induction. Contractors nominate the employees who will be working on VU sites so that these employees can complete the online VU OHS Contractor Induction prior to arriving onsite to work.
  3. Contractor's employees arriving onsite to work. The Contractor's employees are required to sign in via the Rapid Global Access terminal (located in the campus's security office) each time they commence work onsite. The Contractor's employees are also required to undertake a brief site orientation on the Rapid Global Access terminal on the initial visit to that campus.

    On VU sites that do not have a Rapid Access terminal (e.g. Ashley Street Braybrook, Metro West, Whitten Oval) contractors must sign in via the local Visitors Book and be given a site specific VU Health & Safety Card.

(20) Contractor Registration and Approval - This is initiated by a VU Rapid Global Administrator who adds the potential contractor's name and email address to the Rapid Global system. The 2 categories for Tier 1 Contractors are as follows:

  1. Tier 1 General Contractor who will not be undertaking work with laboratory environments,
  2. Tier 1 General Contractor - Laboratory who will potentially be undertaking work within a laboratory environment.

(21) The VU Rapid Global Administrator, in consultation with the OHS team where necessary, will determine whether the Contractor will be undertaking work within laboratory environments. Selecting the General Contractor Laboratory category ensures that the contracting company's employees undertake both the general online VU OHS Induction and the VU Laboratory specific online induction prior to commencing work at VU.

(22) After the new contractor's details have been entered onto the Rapid Global System the contractor will be sent an email, which invites them to register their company on Rapid Global. This email will also include a link to Victoria University Contractor User Guide which details the process that the Contractor needs to follow.

(23) The Rapid Global system will request the following from the potential contracting company or individual:

  1. Details of insurances i.e. Public Liability, Workers Compensation, and Professional Indemnity. These will be verified and stored within the Rapid Global system. These insurances will be reviewed annually by Rapid Global to ensure that they remain current.
  2. The completion of an OHS Questionnaire which will also be stored on the Rapid Global system. The completed questionnaire will need to be reviewed and verified by the relevant VU Rapid Global Administrator with assistance from OHS personnel as necessary.
  3. Details of relevant registrations that will need to be uploaded to and stored on the Rapid Global system. These will need to be verified by the relevant VU Rapid Global Administrator / OHS personnel as necessary.

(24) If the items listed above are satisfactory these documents can be verified and the Contractor can be approved by the relevant VU Rapid Global Administrator and / or OHS personnel as necessary.

(25) Rapid Global will then email the Contractor to -

  1. advise them of their approval; and
  2. request that the contractor use the link within the email to log onto the Rapid Global system to verify their Rapid Global account.

(26) If any of the information requested in clause (23) is not satisfactory, the VU Rapid Global Administrator can specify the reasons for rejecting documents within Rapid Global. This information will then be emailed to the potential contractor by Rapid Global with instructions on what needs to be remedied.

(27) Contractor Online OHS Inductions - After the Contractor has verified their Rapid Global account, they will be instructed to log into Rapid Global and purchase credits. These credits are used to issue passwords for each of contractor's employees or to the individual consultant who will be undertaking work at VU. These passwords will be emailed by Rapid Global to each of the contractor's individual employees or consultants and the link in the email will direct the employees to log into the Rapid Global system and complete their online induction/s. See Victoria University Contractor User Guide for further details.

(28) Online inductions must be undertaken by all employees of the Contractor or individual contractors / consultants who will be undertaking work on VU premises prior to arriving onsite. Induction(s) are current for 2 years.

(29) When the individual employee / consultant has successfully completed their online induction they will be able to print a certificate to demonstrate that this requirement has been met.

(30) Contractor Arriving to Work on VU Premises - Tier 1 General Contractors' employees are required to sign in via a Rapid Access Terminal each time they commence work at a VU site. Rapid Access Terminals are located in the Security Office of each campus.

(31) On the initial visit to the particular VU campus the Contractor's employees will be required to complete a brief online site orientation session.

(32) After signing in via the Rapid Global Terminal an ID sticker will be issued and the Contractor's employees must wear these stickers while on site.

(33) Security may refuse entry to contractors if they are not currently approved on the Rapid Access system. This could occur if the contractor's induction records and insurances etc. are not current.

(34) If the contractor is not familiar with the area where they will be working, they will need to be escorted while on the premises.

Permit to Work for Tier 1 General Contractors

(35) Tier 1 General Contractors are also required to comply with the Permit to Work Procedure which requires them to submit a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS), Job Safety Analysis (JSA) or similar type of documentation for high risk works prior to commencing work. These documents must accurately reflect the tasks/work that is being undertaken, the specific work environment and the specific risks and controls associated with the work being undertaken. Generic SWMS / JSA's must be reviewed and modified to ensure they reflect the specifics of the planned work prior to the work commencing.

(36) The manager responsible for engaging the contractor must ensure that a VU Authorised Person (see definitions) reviews the contractor's SWMS / JSA / or similar documentation so that so far as is reasonably practicable, the risks associated with the contractor's work have been identified and controlled. This includes considering interactions with people who will be in the vicinity of the contractor's work. After reviewing the SWMS / JSA / or similar documentation the VU Authorised Person will issue a Permit to Work. The Health, Safety & Wellbeing team can be contacted for assistance as required.

(37) Contractors must ensure that they work in accordance with the specifications of their SWMS/ JSA and Permit to Work at all times. Failure to do so could result in termination of the contract.

(38) The contractor's SWMS / JSA / or similar documentation and the contractors completed Permit to work should be retained as detailed in the Permit to Work Procedure .

(39) If a contractor is undertaking work on a tenanted site (e.g. VU Bar, Noodle Bar etc.), a copy of the relevant SWMS / JSA and the Permit to Work must be provided to the tenant prior to the contractor commencing work.

(40) When general contractors engage sub-contractors, these sub-contractors must be identified by the contractor and these sub-contractors must undergo the same approval process as VU contractors i.e. registration / approval / online inductions via the Rapid Global system.

Part D - General Contractor Tier 2

(41) The manager engaging a Tier 2 Contractor should:

  1. raise a purchase order prior to the contractor undertaking the work; and
  2. ensure that the contractor is an approved VU contractor with current status.

(42) The contractor's status can be verified by requesting that either the Procurement Hub or a Rapid Global Administrator check the Rapid Global system. The contracting company's name and ABN are required. See List of VU Rapid Global Administrators.

(43) If the contractor is an approved VU contractor with current status the purchase order can be processed.

(44) If the contractor is not an approved VU contractor they will need to be added to and approved on the Rapid Global system before procurement can process the purchase order.

(45) The VU Contractor Management process for Tier 2 Contractors involves the following 2 stages:

  1. Contractor Registration and Approval. This requires that contracting companies and consultants be added to the Rapid Global software and approved as a VU Contractor.
  2. Contractor Online Induction. Contractors' employees or individuals who will be working on VU sites are required to complete the Tier 2 General Contractor / Consultant OHS online induction prior to arriving onsite to work.

(46) Contractor Registration and Approval - This is initiated by a VU Rapid Global Administrator who adds the potential contractor's name and email address to the Rapid Global system. The Tier 2 Contractor / Consultant category needs to be selected.

When the new contractor has been entered onto the Rapid Global System they will automatically be sent an email, which invites them to register their company or themselves on Rapid Global. This email will also include a link to Victoria University Contractor User Guide which details the process that the contracting company or individual needs to follow.

(47) The Rapid Global system will request the following from the potential contracting company or individual:

  1. Details of insurances i.e. Public Liability, Workers Compensation, and Professional Indemnity. These will be verified and stored within the Rapid Global system. These insurances will be reviewed annually by Rapid Global to ensure that they remain current.
  2. An outline of the work to be conducted.
  3. Details of relevant registrations that will need to be uploaded to and stored on the Rapid Global system. These will need to be verified by the relevant VU Rapid Global Administrator / OHS personnel as necessary.

(48) If the items listed are satisfactory the contractor / consultant can be approved by the relevant VU Rapid Global Administrator and / or OHS personnel as necessary.

(49) Rapid Global will then email the contractor / consultant to:

  1. advise them of their approval; and
  2. request that the contractor or consultant use the link within the email to log onto the Rapid Global system to verify their Rapid Global account.

(50) If any of the information requested in clause (47) is not satisfactory, the VU Rapid Global Administrator can specify the reasons for rejecting documents within Rapid Global. This information will then be emailed to the potential contractor / consultant by Rapid Global with instructions on what needs to be remedied.

(51) Contractor Online OHS Inductions - After the Contractor or the Consultant has verified their Rapid Global account, they will be instructed to log into Rapid Global and purchase credits. These credits are used to issue passwords to each of the contractor's employees or to the individual consultant who will be undertaking work at VU. These passwords will be emailed by Rapid Global to each of the contractor's individual employees or consultants and the link in the email will direct the employees to log onto the Rapid Global system and complete their online induction/s. See Victoria University Contractor User Guide for further details.

(52) Online inductions must be undertaken by all employees of the Contractor or individual contractors / consultants who will be undertaking work on VU premises prior to arriving onsite. Induction(s) are current for 2 years.

(53) When the individual employee / consultant has successfully completed their online induction they will be able to print a certificate to demonstrate that this requirement has been met.

(54) When Tier 2 General Contractors engage sub-contractors, these sub-contractors must be identified by the contractor and these sub-contractors must undergo the same approval process as VU contractors i.e. registration / approval / online inductions via the Rapid Global system.

(55) The manager responsible for engaging the contractor or consultant must check that the contractor or consultant has completed the specific Tier 2 online Rapid Global induction prior to them commencing work. When onsite the contractor / consultant needs to be given a local orientation and be issued with the necessary security ID cards / access keys / fobs. The manager must also ensure that contractors / consultants working within office environments complete a 'Workstation Adjustment Work Sheet' and that any required controls are implemented.

Part E - Visitors

(56) Visitors may enter the site via the security office and 'sign in' via the Rapid Access terminal. They will be required to complete a brief site orientation on their first visit and they will be issued with an ID sticker which they need to wear while on campus.

(57) When required, visitors may be required to provide further information to VU in order ensure that they are effectively managing their OHS risks and the risk to people on VU premises or at VU functions.

(58) Security will issue specific keys / fobs etc. as required.

(59) For sites that do not have a security office (e.g. Ashley Street Braybrook); Visitors will be issued with a 'Victoria University Health & Safety Card' and sign into the local visitors book, acknowledging that they have received the sites health & safety card.

(60) Visitors not familiar with the university must be accompanied by a relevant University employee.

(61) Visitors must confine themselves to the immediate site or area of their work and shall not enter other areas unless they have essential business.

(62) Visitors must return specific keys / fobs and 'sign out' using the Rapid Access terminal at Security when they leave the site.

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Section 6 - Guidelines

(63) Nil