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SafeTalk with SafeStart
SafeTalk with SafeStart
S10Ep14 Flex Series: Contractors and Subcontractors
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 Stewart:Hey, 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-Bottorff:I 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 Stewart:Well, 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-Bottorff:Yeah 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 Stewart:Yeah, 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-Bottorff:It'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 Stewart:Yeah, 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-Bottorff:Well, 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 Stewart:Yeah, 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-Bottorff:I 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 Stewart:Yeah, 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-Bottorff:Good, 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 Stewart:No, 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-Bottorff:Interesting 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 Stewart:Oh, 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-Bottorff:Yeah, 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 Stewart:You bet Tim, always a pleasure, thank you.
Tim Page-Bottorff:And 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.