Contractors in the Workplace: Are They Prepared for an Emergency?

Contractors are a normal part of many Australian workplaces. From trades and maintenance teams to cleaners, technicians, consultants and specialist workers, there may be people regularly working at your site who aren’t part of your permanent team.

While contractors may be highly experienced in the work they’ve been engaged to perform, they won’t necessarily be familiar with your workplace.

Do they know what your emergency alarm sounds like? Where should they go during an evacuation? Who should they report to? Where is the Assembly Area? And how will your wardens know they’ve safely left the building?

Making sure contractors understand your workplace emergency procedures is an important part of keeping everyone on site prepared.

Why contractors need site-specific emergency information

Every workplace is different.

A contractor may have extensive experience working across different sites, but they won’t automatically know your building layout, evacuation routes, emergency exits, alarm systems, Assembly Areas or site-specific hazards.

They also may not know who has emergency responsibilities within your workplace or what will be expected of them if an alarm is raised.

That’s why relying on a contractor’s previous experience isn’t enough. Relevant emergency information should form part of their introduction to your workplace.

Include emergency procedures in your contractor induction

Before commencing work, contractors should receive the site-specific information they need to work safely and respond appropriately in an emergency.

Depending on your workplace, your contractor induction may need to cover:

• How alarms and emergency warnings are communicated
• What contractors should do when an alarm sounds
• Emergency exits and evacuation routes
• The location of the designated Assembly Area
• Who contractors should follow or report to during an emergency
• Any restricted or high-risk areas
• How contractors will be accounted for following an evacuation
• How to report an emergency or raise an alarm
• Any site-specific emergency procedures relevant to the work being performed

This information should be clear, practical and relevant to the contractor’s activities and location within the workplace.

Make sure contractors know what to do when an alarm sounds

An emergency isn’t the time for someone to be working out where the nearest exit is or wondering whether an alarm applies to them.

Contractors should understand that they are expected to follow your workplace’s emergency procedures and the directions of the Emergency Control Organisation (ECO).

This includes responding appropriately to alarms, evacuating when directed, using the designated evacuation route where safe to do so and proceeding to the nominated Assembly Area.

They should also know who to approach if they identify an emergency themselves.

How will you account for contractors during an evacuation?

Knowing who is on site can become particularly important during an emergency.

Your workplace should have a reliable process for identifying contractors and other visitors who are present, and for accounting for them following an evacuation.

Depending on the workplace, this could form part of a visitor management, sign-in or contractor management process.

Whatever system you use, it needs to work when it matters.

Consider what would happen if you evacuated today. Would your wardens know which contractors were on site? Would they know where those contractors were working? And would the contractors know where they were expected to assemble?

Consider the work your contractors are performing

Contractors can sometimes introduce additional considerations into workplace emergency planning.

For example, maintenance, construction or other works may temporarily affect access to an emergency exit or evacuation route. Contractors may also be working in isolated areas, plant rooms, rooftops or other locations where alarms or emergency communications aren’t as easily noticed.

Before work begins, consider whether the contractor’s activities could affect your existing emergency arrangements — and whether your procedures need to be adjusted while the work is underway.

Communication between contractors, site management and your Emergency Control Organisation can help ensure everyone understands any temporary changes.

Review your procedures when the workplace changes

Contractor activity can also be a useful prompt to review your broader workplace emergency arrangements.

If works have changed your building layout, access points, emergency exits, equipment or evacuation routes, your emergency plan and evacuation diagrams may also need to be reviewed.

Emergency planning shouldn’t be treated as something that is developed once and then forgotten. Your procedures need to continue reflecting the way your workplace actually operates.

Emergency preparedness includes everyone on site

Your emergency procedures aren’t only for permanent employees.

Contractors, visitors and other people within your workplace may all need to respond during an emergency. Providing clear information before work begins helps remove uncertainty and gives everyone a better understanding of what they’re expected to do.

The question is simple: if an alarm sounded today, would every contractor on your site know what to do?

Workplace Emergency Management can help your organisation review its emergency plans, procedures, evacuation diagrams and training to make sure your emergency arrangements consider everyone who may be present in your workplace.