1

Key Takeaways
12
minute read

Read this eBook to learn:

1 2 3
Key characteristics Actionable next How technology
of contractor steps to improve supports mature
safety programs your contractor contractor safety
at each stage of safety program at programs
maturity and where any maturity level
your program
stands today

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Who Should Read This eBook

Safety Executives

Safety Managers

Front-Line Safety Supervisors

Safety Committee Members

Supply Chain/Procurement Managers

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Table of Contents

01 Introduction

The Contractor Safety Compliance Management

02 Maturity Model

03 Identifying Where Your Program Stands Today &

Actionable Steps to Improve It

04 Suggested KPIs for Contractor Safety Programs

05 Conclusion

4
Introduction

Leading companies recognize that cultivating a safety

culture is critical, not just internally but also across their
contractor workforce. A strong contractor safety program can
help prevent worker injuries, protect company reputation,
support compliance with government regulations, and avoid
unnecessary loss.
But what does a strong contractor safety program look like
and how does a company get there? This eBook introduces
the Contractor Safety Compliance Management Maturity
Model, which outlines the key characteristics of contractor
safety programs at each stage of maturity and provides
guidance to help a company strengthen (or start!) their own
program. This eBook also discusses the role that technology
plays in supporting mature contractor safety programs.

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The Contractor Safety Compliance
Management Maturity Model
The Contractor Safety Compliance Management Maturity Model is a tool that helps companies assess the current state of their
contractor safety program and identify the critical next steps needed to improve it. Organizations move across the models
continuum from left to right as they become increasingly mature in their implementation and management of their contractor
safety program.

6
Key Drivers of Contractor Safety
Program Maturity
Three key drivers influence a companys position along the maturity model continuum:
Culture
Is contractor safety an executive
priority and how pervasive is
program buy-in across the
company?
Is there a willingness to invest
in the necessary manpower and
technology resources to support
the program?
Do the programs objectives
end at contractor prequalification,
or are they focused on driving
continuous year-over-year
improvement?
Technology
Does the company have a
centralized repository to store
and easily analyze contractor
safety data?
Is technology in place to enforce
consistency with respect to the
contractor data thats captured
and how its reviewed?
Are mobile tools used to
efficiently share and capture
contractor safety information
in the field?
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Data
Have KPIs (key performance
indicators) been defined for
contractor safety are how are
they used to manage?
Is historical data available to
identify trends over time?
Are diverse data sources
including leading and lagging
indicators available to provide
program insights and drive
decision making?
The Contractor Safety Compliance
Management Maturity Model
This high-level view of the
model illustrates that, as a
companys culture and use of
technology and data evolve,
so does the maturity of its
contractor safety program.
Read on for an in-depth look
at each stage of maturity.
Ad Hoc
No internal resource focus
Inconsistent, ad hoc capture
of contractor safety program
info
Data in emails/local files
No historical data
Developing Program
Small part of someones job
Beginning to define
prequalification criteria
Limited contractor data
capture
Data in local Excel/Word files
Very limited historical data
8
Basic Program
Significant part of someones
job or dedicated resource
Often 3rd-party support for
data review
Focus on consistent
prequalification
Standardized contractor
data capture and review
Safety compliance mgmt.
system in place (or
centralized file)
1+ year data
Basic KPIs in place
Advanced Program
Dedicated resource, plus field
support for observations and
audits
3rd-party support for data
review and audits
Focus on improvement/
helping at-risk contractors
get better
Risk-based prequalification
requirements in place
Safety compliance mgmt.
system in place
3 years data
Advanced KPIs in place
Comprehensive view of
contractor safety/risk
Program reviewed at least
annually
Strategic Program
Program buy-in at all levels
3rd-party support for data
review and audits
Focus on continuous
improvement
Risk-based prequalification
with defined exception
processes
Safety compliance mgmt.
system with mobile tools
3+ years data
Integrated KPIs in place
Increasingly granular data
capture
Comprehensive view of
contractor safety/risk
Program continuously
enhanced based on latest
trend metrics
Ad Hoc & Developing Programs
Ad Hoc
No internal resource focus
Inconsistent, ad hoc capture
of contractor safety program
info
Data in emails/local files
No historical data
Developing Program
Small part of someones job
Beginning to define
prequalification criteria
Limited contractor data
capture
Data in local Excel/Word files
Very limited historical data
Basic Program Advanced Program Strategic Program
Dedicated resource, plus field
Significant part of someones Program buy-in at all levels
support for observations and
job or dedicated resource
At these early levels of maturity, contractor safety either isnt a focus for the company,
audits
or its
Often just support
3rd-party emerging
for as3rd-party
an area that
support needs attention,
for data perhaps
3rd-party support for data in reaction to a
data review review and audits review and audits
contractor incident. If someone owns contractor safety, its typically a small part
of their
Focus job responsibilities
on consistent
helping at these
Focus on improvement/
at-risk stages. Focus
contractors
on continuous
improvement
prequalification
get better
Various departments may have begun to define criteria for vetting contractors
Risk-based prequalification
Standardized contractor Risk-based prequalification
based onandsafety
data capture review performance,
requirementsbut theres no with
in place consistent
processes
standard used across the
defined exception
organization
Safety compliance mgmt.in terms of what data is captured or how its reviewed. Data OSHA
Safety compliance mgmt. Safety compliance mgmt.
system in place (or
logs, EMR
centralized file) letters, safety manuals tends to be requested from contractors on an
system in place system with mobile tools
ad hoc basis. At this stage, the company lacks a centralized place where all contractor
1+ year data 3 years data 3+ years data
safety data is stored, so it resides in emails or local files limiting any historical
perspective. Integrated KPIs in place
Basic KPIs in place Advanced KPIs in place
Comprehensive view of Increasingly granular data
contractor safety/risk capture
Program reviewed at least Comprehensive view of
annually contractor safety/risk
Program continuously
enhanced based on latest
trend metrics
9
Key Steps to Take Your Ad Hoc or
Developing Program to the Next Level

Invest in manpower. Your program simply wont mature if contractor safety stays at the bottom of someones to do
list, so make it a focus of someones role and their jobs success metrics. Depending on the size of your company and
contractor pool, it may warrant a dedicated role.
Establish basic KPIs to support contractor prequalification. A solid place to start is tracking TRCR, number of fatalities,
number of vehicle incidents, and EMR for each contractor, plus the average of each of these stats across your total
contractor pool. Youll want to gather contractors safety manuals as well.
Implement a centralized repository for contractor safety program data. Whether you invest in web-based safety
compliance management software, or use a shared drive, its time to centralize this data so that you can monitor its
consistent capture across all contractors and track your KPIs.
Define and implement contractor data review standards. Document a standard procedure for reviewing each contractors
submitted KPI data and safety manual, as well as establish the baseline for an approved contractor. Put these standards
into practice to create consistency.

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 Basic Programs
Developing Program
Small part of someones job
Beginning to define
prequalification criteria
Limited contractor data
capture
Data in local Excel/Word files
Very limited historical data
Basic Program
Significant part of someones
job or dedicated resource
Often 3rd-party support for
data review
Focus on consistent
prequalification
Standardized contractor
data capture and review
Safety compliance mgmt.
system in place (or
centralized file)
1+ year data
Basic KPIs in place
Contractor safety programs at this level are characterized by their successful
Advancedachievement
Program ofStrategic
consistency:
Program a single prequalification process, supported by
standardized contractor data capture and review processes. To get here, these
Dedicated resource, plus field
companies
support for observations and made
Programanbuy-in
internal resource commitment managing the contractor safety
at all levels
audits
program is either a large part of someones job or a dedicated role. Theyve also
established a 3rd-party
3rd-party support for data
review and audits
centralized
review and audits repository for contractor safety data, using either web-
support for data
based safety compliance management software or a shared drive. Some companies
Focus on improvement/ Focus on continuous
helping at-risk continue
contractors to handle contractor data collection and review internally, but at this stage,
improvement
get better
the administrative burden may have necessitated third-party support to ensure that all
Risk-based prequalification
Risk-based prequalification
requirements incontractors
place data is consistently
with defined exception captured and vetted (this support is usually provided
processes
with a safety compliance management system).
Safety compliance mgmt. Safety compliance mgmt.
system in place
From a data standpoint, the company has standardized what is required from each
system with mobile tools
3 years data
contractor typically
3+ years data
a completed questionnaire about their safety program, their
safety manual, plus core OSHA stats, vehicle incident stats, and EMR and theyve
Advanced KPIs captured
in place at least theKPIs
Integrated most recent years data for each contractor. This allows the
in place
company to establish basic KPIs for their program and begin working towards tracking
Comprehensiveyear-over-year
view of contractor
Increasingly granularsafety
data trends.
contractor safety/risk capture
While this maturity level represents a solid contractor safety program, a basic program
Program reviewed at least Comprehensive view of
annually doesnt account for varying
contractor safety/risk degrees of contractor risk, nor is it designed to drive
continuous improvement
Program continuously to contractor safety. Opportunities also remain to enhance
enhanced based on latest
program efficiency through the use of technology.
trend metrics
11
Key Steps to Take Your Basic Program to
the Next Level
Enhance prequalification to account for risk. Contractors introduce varying levels of risk to your business based on the
types and volume of work they do. Establish additional prequalification requirements e.g., undergoing an audit for
higher-risk contractors and organize your contractor list into risk-based groups.
Shift your programs focus to driving safety improvement among contractors. Expand your program to include
contractor safety observations and audits, which provide insights that help you pinpoint and correct areas where
contractors have program weaknesses. Define your criteria (paper forms are fine at this point) and leverage field staff to
conduct them. Third-party auditors also add value, as they bring an impartial perspective and best practices from their
work across industries.
Implement safety compliance management software if you havent yet. Youll outgrow a spreadsheet-based approach
as you enhance your program and the benefits of a dedicated system are numerous:
Improve efficiency: auto-enforce your varying risk-based requirements, easily see whos approved to work (or why
theyre not), quickly slice and dice and analyze your expanding data set
Track contractor compliance with other requirements e.g., insurance coverage giving you one place to see a
comprehensive view of readiness to work
Give field personnel system access to verify approved contractors, minimizing downtime and removing the burden
of responding to these types of calls/emails from an internal resource
Eliminate labor-intensive tasks from your staff and ensure a consistent review process: most software vendors gather
and review your contractors data, but be sure you understand exactly what the vendor will look at safety manual/
policy reviews may be an add-on cost

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 Advanced Programs
Basic Program
Significant part of someones
job or dedicated resource
Often 3rd-party support for
data review
Focus on consistent
prequalification
Standardized contractor
data capture and review
Safety compliance mgmt.
system in place (or
centralized file)
1+ year data
Basic KPIs in place
Advanced Program
Dedicated resource, plus field
support for observations and
audits
3rd-party support for data
review and audits
Focus on improvement/
helping at-risk contractors
get better
Risk-based prequalification
requirements in place
Safety compliance mgmt.
system in place
3 years data
Advanced KPIs in place
Comprehensive view of
contractor safety/risk
Program reviewed at least
annually
Advanced contractor safety programs are set apart by looking beyond prequalification
and including tools that help contractors continuously get better at safety. Companies
Strategic Program
at this level have a dedicated resource to manage their holistic program, which now
includes oversight of prequalification processes plus contractor safety observations
Program buy-in at all levels
and audits. The addition of observations and audits is a critical advancement. While
often
3rd-party support initially paper-based, these tools capture valuable trend data regarding areas
for data
review and audits
where contractors have safety weaknesses and provide critical visibility into the day-
improvement
to-day implementation of contractors safety programs. They also create opportunities
Focus on continuous
to provide coaching or require formal corrective action that helps contractors improve
Risk-based prequalification
their programs. Field personnel, plus third-party auditors, support these efforts.
with defined exception
processes
For prequalification, risk-based requirements are used contractors that do high-risk
Safety compliance mgmt.
or high-volume
system with mobile tools work have additional requirements to meet. Companies at this level
have invested in safety compliance management software to efficiently manage their
3+ years data
increasingly complex program and data, and get a clear view of contractor readiness
to work across safety and other requirements (e.g., insurance). The software vendor is
Integrated KPIs in place
being leveraged to support the time-consuming administrative tasks of gathering and
reviewing
Increasingly granular data contractors safety program information.
capture
Data is a necessity to identify where opportunities for improvement lie. Audit and
observation
Comprehensive view of
contractor safety/risk
findings have been added to program KPIs, plus the past 3 years worth
of safety data is captured from contractors for enhanced historical perspective. At
Program continuously
enhanced basedthis stage, companies have gotten into a cadence of at least an annual review of their
on latest
trend metrics
contractor safety program to see where adjustments may be needed, armed with their
expanding KPIs and trend data.
13
Key Steps to Take Your Advanced
Program to the Next Level

Go mobile. Leverage your safety compliance management systems mobile tools in the field to more efficiently
communicate whos approved and capture paperless contractor safety observation and audit reports. With real-time
capture of findings, you can manage to emerging trends while a project is still ongoing.
Plan for the unexpected. Identify and prequalify a backup contractor for critical work situations and/or locations that
can be used in the event your usual contractor is unavailable. Establish a formal exception process (including system
documentation) for use of an unapproved contractor in an emergency or when the business need arises.
Get broader and more granular with your data. Expand your range of KPIs to ensure youre tracking both leading and
lagging indicators (i.e., measures of both incident prevention and history) and capitalizing on all of your data sources
self-reported data from contractors, internally-produced contractor observation and audit findings, and 3rd-party data
(e.g., audit findings, industry benchmarks). Consider requiring some safety data to be reported by contractors at more
granular levels to facilitate benchmarking (e.g., comparison of individual projects).

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 Strategic Programs

Advanced Program
Dedicated resource, plus field
support for observations and
audits
3rd-party support for data
review and audits
Focus on improvement/
helping at-risk contractors
get better
Strategic Program
Program buy-in at all levels
3rd-party support for data
review and audits
Focus on continuous
improvement
At this level, theres contractor safety program buy-in from the top down throughout
the organization. Companies at this level also take a partnership view of their
program. Its not about being punitive towards contractors, its about a partnership in
safety and having tools in place that help everyone create a safer workplace.
These companies are strategic in their use of technology to streamline process and
minimize downtime. They leverage mobile tools to provide real-time information
about whos approved to work and capture paperless contractor observation and
audit reports that synch directly to the safety compliance management system for

Risk-based prequalification
requirements in place
Safety compliance mgmt.
system in place
3 years data
Advanced KPIs in place
Comprehensive view of
contractor safety/risk
Program reviewed at least
annually
Risk-based prequalification
trend analysis. Theyve also planned for exceptions: they have backup contractors
with defined exception
processes
identified in their system for critical work situations/locations and a well-defined process
for approving and documenting the use of an unapproved contractor when necessary.
Safety compliance mgmt.
system with mobile tools
They also strategically use data to guide enhancements to, and investment in,
3+ years data
their program. For example, where is an awareness campaign needed? An update
to contractor work rules? More training? Additional manpower? These companies
Integrated KPIs in place continue to build upon their historical view of trends and track an integrated mix of
leading and lagging KPIs in their safety compliance management system. Contractors
Increasingly granular data may be required to report safety stats at more granular levels e.g., tracking
capture
incidents by project enabling detailed analysis and benchmarking. These very
Comprehensive view of
contractor safety/risk
mature companies excel at continuously adapting their contractor safety program
and targeting their resources based on the latest trend metrics, helping them guard
Program continuously
enhanced based on latest against complacency.
trend metrics

15
Suggested KPIs for Contractor
Safety Programs
The ultimate goal is a mix of leading and lagging indicators (i.e., measures of both incident prevention and history) to guide your
program. Start with the basics (in light blue) and add KPIs as you have more sophisticated technology to support data capture and
analysis, as well as broader and more granular data sources.

Safety Stats
(OSHA-reported, on my jobsites
only, on each project)
Program Management By contractor (min 3-year rolling) and
Contractor onboarding status YoY average for total contractor pool:
Risk-based contractor grouping TRCR/TRIR DART Rate
mix
# of fatalities Other
# of motor Recordable
vehicle Incident Rate
incidents Days Away/Lost
EMR Time Incident
Rate

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Suggested KPIs for Contractor
Safety Programs
Observation Trends
(monthly, quarterly, YoY)
# of observations performed
# and types of observations
(by category/sub-category,
positive/negative, region, project,
contractor, work type, etc.)
Benchmarks
Contractor vs total pool
Total pool vs OSHA industry
average
Project vs project
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Audit Trends
(monthly, quarterly, YoY)
Internal audits
# of audits performed
# and types of findings
(by category/sub-category,
positive/negative, region, project,
contractor, work type, etc.)
3rd-party audits
# of audits performed
# and types of findings
(by category/sub-category,
positive/negative, region, project,
contractor, work type, etc.)
Key Characteristics at Each Stage
of Maturity
Ad Developing Basic Advanced Strategic
Hoc Program Program Program Program
No internal resource Small focus of internal Significant focus Dedicated resource, plus contractor Program buy-in at all levels
focus resources role of internal role or observation reports/audits by field
Dedicated resource, plus contractor
dedicated resource personnel
Beginning to define observation reports/audits by field
prequalification criteria Often 3rd-party 3rd-party support for data review & personnel
support for data audits
3rd-party support for data review &
Culture review
Focus on improvement/helping at-risk audits
Focus on consistent contractors get better
Formal exception process established
prequalification
Contractor safety program reviewed at
process (data & Contractor safety program continuously
least annually
business processes) enhanced based on latest trend metrics
to drive ongoing safety improvement

Emails/documents Excel/Word files saved Web-based safety Web-based safety compliance mgmt. Safety compliance mgmt. system in
saved locally locally compliance system in place with user roles for field place, incl. support for risk-based
management system personnel requirements, exception process, and
or other centralized capture of observation & audit data
Risk-based contractor requirements in
Technology repository (e.g., Excel
place Mobile tools in field
file on shared drive)
in place Comprehensive view of contractors Comprehensive view of contractors
across other safety & risk-related across other safety & risk-related
requirements (e.g., insurance) requirements (e.g., insurance)

Inconsistent, ad Limited contractor Standardized Expanding data capture, incl. Increasingly granular data capture, e.g.,
hoc contractor data data capture contractor data observation & audit findings client-specific or project-level stats
capture capture, incl. core
Very limited historical Advanced KPIs in place Integrated KPIs, incl. leading & lagging
OSHA safety stats and
No historical data data indicators in place
policies 3 years data
3+ years data
Basic KPIs in place Visibility into contractor performance
Data trends Visibility into contractor performance
1+ years data
trends across all hiring clients, all my
Benchmarking contractors against
jobsites, and on my individual projects
industry averages
Benchmarking contractors against
industry averages and on similar internal
projects

18
Conclusion
While each business may have its own unique considerations,
the Contractor Safety Compliance Management Maturity Model
provides an effective framework for assessing the current state
of a companys contractor safety program and taking action to
improve it. By cultivating a culture of top-down commitment
to improving contractor safety, effectively using technology to
drive program efficiencies and consistency, and leveraging data
to strategically guide program enhancements, companies can
successfully move their contractor safety programs forward.
To learn more about the maturity model or speak with a
representative about your contractor safety program, visit
veriforce.com or call 800.426.1604.
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About Veriforce Solutions
Veriforce delivers integrated compliance solutions that
help companies enhance safety for their workforce and
the communities they serve. Our comprehensive safety
compliance solution combines VeriSource Safety
Compliance Management software with valued-added audit
and training services to help clients streamline contractor
prequalification processes, get a deeper view of their
contractors safety performance, and drive improvement
to safety culture across their contractor workforce.
Veriforce
800.426.1604
2017 Veriforce, LLC. All rights reserved