PEMAC’s Director of Sales, Donal Bourke discusses how the CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT module within the PEMAC ASSETS CMMS software, can be used to streamline Compliance and Safety Management in Manufacturing operations.
Manufacturing facilities often rely on the expertise of contractors to fulfil various tasks and projects. While this collaboration brings numerous advantages, it also introduces compliance and safety management challenges. Ensuring that contractors adhere to safety regulations and meet compliance requirements is crucial for maintaining a safe working environment. In recent years, the advent of Contractor Management software has revolutionised the way manufacturers approach these challenges. In this article, we will explore the compliance and safety management challenges associated with managing contractors at manufacturing facilities. We will also discuss how the CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT module within the PEMAC ASSETS CMMS software can help streamline processes, capture information, and maintain audit trails to ensure safety and compliance.
Compliance and Safety Challenges
Regulatory Compliance: Manufacturing facilities are subject to a plethora of regulations governing safety standards, environmental concerns, labour laws, and more. Ensuring that contractors comply with these regulations can be complex, especially when dealing with multiple contractors simultaneously. Tracking compliance documentation, such as licenses, certifications, and insurance, can become a time-consuming task prone to errors.
Qualification and Competency Verification: Ensuring that contractors possess the necessary qualifications, skills, and competencies to perform their assigned tasks is crucial for compliance and safety. However, verifying contractor qualifications and assessing their competency levels can be challenging, particularly when dealing with a large number of contractors or specialised roles.
Compliance with Health and Safety Regulations: Organisations must ensure that contractors comply with health and safety regulations and follow established protocols. This includes adherence to personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, hazardous material handling guidelines, safety procedures, and emergency protocols. Monitoring contractor compliance with these regulations can be challenging, especially when contractors work across multiple sites or engage in dynamic work environments.
Audit and Documentation: Compliance audits are a routine part of manufacturing operations. Maintaining accurate and up-to-date records of contractor activities, incidents, and safety protocols is crucial for passing audits and demonstrating a commitment to safety and compliance. Manual record-keeping processes can be prone to errors which makes it challenging to produce comprehensive audit trails.
The Role of Contractor Management Software
The PEMAC ASSETS CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT module offers a digital solution to tackle the compliance and safety challenges associated with contractor management. Here’s how it can help:
Centralised Database: The PEMAC ASSETS software provides a robust CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT module that allows manufacturers to maintain a centralised database of contractor information. This includes certifications, licenses, insurance documents, and safety training records. Maintenance managers can easily access this information, verify compliance, and ensure that only qualified contractors are engaged.
Streamlined Contractor Induction: The PEMAC ASSETS CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT module provides a structured and standardised process for contractor onboarding and induction. Combined with the PEMAC FORMS module, it allows maintenance managers to create and deliver induction programs covering site-specific safety protocols, emergency procedures, and other critical information. Contractors can complete the induction remotely before arriving on-site, ensuring they are well-prepared and aware of the facility’s safety requirements.
Documentation and Audit Trails:
The PEMAC ASSETS CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT module generates comprehensive audit trails by automating record-keeping processes. This includes incident reports, safety inspections, and compliance documentation. These audit trails can be easily accessed during compliance audits, demonstrating an organisation’s commitment to safety and compliance.
Search and Approval Processes:
The PEMAC ASSETS CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT module offers search functionalities to find approved contractors based on specific skills. It enables maintenance managers to vet contractors and visitors in advance, reviewing insurance and skills documentation for approval. This feature reduces administrative tasks and streamlines the approval process, ensuring compliance before contractors arrive on-site.
Contractor Self-Service:
The Contractor Self-Service facility within the PEMAC ASSETS CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT module empowers contractors to easily provide all requested information through the system. This streamlined data submission process includes built-in approval mechanisms at both Company and Resource levels. Consequently, contracting companies can be tagged as approved suppliers for the site, and individual resources can be approved based on their current skills and competencies. This feature enhances efficiency, ensures compliance with requirements, and simplifies the onboarding process for qualified contractors.
In addition, once a Contractor is set up, the software offers proactive Notifications to the contracting companies and administrators. When contractors’ current documentation is nearing expiry, the system automatically sends timely notifications to contracting companies, reminding them to renew their documentation promptly. Additionally, contracting company admins receive automatic notifications when contractors’ skills are approaching their expiration dates. These automated alerts help ensure that contractors maintain up-to-date certifications and qualifications, reducing the risk of non-compliance and enhancing overall safety standards.
Contractor Visit Management:
Our Visit Management feature provides comprehensive control over contractors’ visits to the site, allowing effective monitoring and oversight. It offers an instant overview of all contractors currently onsite and those nearing their permitted time limit or exceeding their stay. Moreover, the software module enables the instant creation of evacuation reports specifically for contractors in the event of a site emergency. This ensures that contractors’ safety is promptly addressed during critical situations. Additionally, the Calendar view of planned visits to the site aids better resource allocation and scheduling, optimising contractor management and enhancing project efficiency.
PEMAC ASSETS Native Integration:
Our CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT module offers seamless native integration with PEMAC ASSETS CMMS software, providing several valuable functionalities. Firstly, it integrates with the Maintenance module, enabling maintenance supervisors to effortlessly create visit requests when contractors are needed for specific tasks or projects. This streamlines the process of engaging contractors and ensures that maintenance requirements are efficiently addressed.
Secondly, CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT fully integrates with the PEMAC FORMS module, allowing clients to digitise form templates and business workflows for gathering all necessary contractor documents. This digitisation enhances data accuracy, and accessibility, and reduces administrative burdens associated with manual paperwork. Lastly, the integration with Google Maps provides users with a clear view of work orders that require contractor involvement and the locations of contractors on Google Maps. This visual representation facilitates better planning and coordination, optimising contractor assignments and ensuring efficient project management.
Managing contractors at manufacturing facilities poses unique compliance and safety management challenges. However, with the advent of the PEMAC ASSETS CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT module, manufacturers now have a powerful tool to streamline processes, capture information, and maintain audit trails to ensure safety and compliance. By centralising contractor data, automating processes, and facilitating documentation, the PEMAC ASSETS CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT module plays a crucial role in maintaining a safe work environment and meeting regulatory requirements. Embracing the PEMAC ASSETS CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT module can enhance collaboration, minimise risks, and ultimately contribute to the success of manufacturing facilities in an ever-evolving landscape of compliance and safety.
