The Ultimate Guide to Verifying a Contractor's Safety Record and Protocols
- Gabriel Mikael
- Oct 24
- 4 min read
A contractor's safety record isn't just about their employees—it's about the protection of your property, your budget, your timeline, and everyone who enters the site. A strong safety culture is the mark of a professional, organized, and responsible company.
Asking about safety separates the true professionals from the risky operators. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: The Direct Questions to Ask the Contractor
Start the conversation by asking specific, open-ended questions that require more than a "yes" or "no" answer.
What to Ask During Your Interview:
"Can you describe your company's written safety program?"
Why it works: A professional contractor will have a formal, documented program. A vague answer like "we're always safe" is a red flag.
"Who is responsible for safety on your job sites, and what is their training?"
Why it works: This reveals if safety is a core value with assigned accountability. Look for answers like, "Our Site Superintendents are OSHA 30-hour trained and conduct daily safety huddles."
"How do you handle safety orientations for new workers and subcontractors on a project?"
Why it works: This ensures that everyone on site, not just their core crew, is aware of the specific site hazards and rules.
"What is your process for conducting pre-task safety planning or job hazard analyses?"
Why it works: This shows a proactive, rather than reactive, approach. They should identify potential hazards (e.g., working at height, silica dust, electrical risks) before starting a task.
"Can you walk me through your protocol for incident reporting and investigation?"
Why it works: A transparent process shows they are focused on learning from near-misses and incidents to prevent recurrence.
Step 2: How to Verify Their Safety Record
A contractor can talk a good game, but their record tells the true story. Here’s where to look for objective data.
A. Check their OSHA Record (The Gold Standard for the U.S.)
Action: Visit the OSHA Enforcement website ("Establishment Search").
What to Look For:
Inspections: Have they been inspected? A history of inspections isn't always negative (some are random), but the outcome is key.
Violations: Look for "Serious," "Willful," or "Repeat" violations. These are major red flags indicating a pattern of ignoring safety rules.
Penalties: Significant fines indicate severe or repeated failures.
Note: A clean OSHA record is a very strong positive sign.
B. Check their Experience Modification Rate (EMR)
What it is: The EMR is an insurance industry calculation that compares a company's workers' compensation claims history to other companies in the same industry.
EMR of 1.0 is the industry average.
EMR below 1.0 (e.g., 0.85) indicates a better-than-average safety record. This is a huge green flag.
EMR above 1.0 (e.g., 1.25) indicates a worse-than-average safety record. This leads to higher insurance premiums and signals higher risk.
How to Ask: "Can you provide your company's current Experience Modification Rate (EMR)?" A confident, safe contractor will provide this.
C. Request their Safety Statistics
What to Ask For: "Can you share your company's TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate) and DART (Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred) rate?"
What it means: These are standardized metrics. A low rate (or a zero) is excellent. It shows they have fewer injuries requiring medical treatment or resulting in lost workdays than their competitors.
Step 3: Observe Safety in Action
What you see during a site visit or even in their materials speaks volumes.
During a Site Visit, Look For:
Housekeeping: Is the site clean, organized, and free of tripping hazards? A messy site is a dangerous site.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Are all workers wearing hard hats, safety glasses, high-visibility vests, and appropriate footwear?
Fall Protection: For any work over 6 feet, are proper guardrails, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems in use?
Material Storage & Equipment: Are materials stacked securely? Are power tools in good condition with proper guards?
Safety Signage: Are there signs for hazards, required PPE, and emergency exits?
In Their Proposal & Documentation, Look For:
A dedicated safety section in their proposal outlining their commitment.
A written site-specific safety plan for your project.
Proof of safety training (e.g., OSHA 10-hour or 30-hour cards for key staff).
Red Flags and Deal-Breakers
🚩 Dismissing your safety concerns. "Don't worry, we've never had a problem."
🚩 No written safety program. "We just know how to be safe."
🚩 A high EMR (above 1.0) or a refusal to provide it.
🚩 Serious or repeat OSHA violations.
🚩 During a site visit, you observe blatant safety violations (no fall protection, unsafe ladders, poor housekeeping).
🚩 They pressure you to skip safety requirements to save time or money.
Why WallPro's Safety Culture is a Core Deliverable
At WallPro Systems and Construction Inc., we don't see safety as a cost of doing business; we see it as a fundamental measure of our professionalism and our commitment to our team and our clients.
We maintain an industry-leading EMR of 0.72, which we proudly share with potential clients.
Our written Safety & Health Program is comprehensive and is reviewed annually and implemented on every project.
Our key field supervisors and project managers hold OSHA 30-hour certifications, and all field personnel are OSHA 10-hour certified.
We conduct daily safety huddles and weekly site inspections to proactively identify and correct hazards.
We have a clean OSHA record and are committed to keeping it that way.
Choosing a contractor with a weak safety record is a risk you shouldn't take. It protects your investment, your timeline, and your peace of mind.
Ready to work with a contractor who values safety as much as you do? Contact WallPro to request our safety statistics and a copy of our safety program overview.
Request Our Safety Credentials or Call Us at +63917516755 to Speak with Our Safety Director
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