Who Does What: Client, Contractor and Subcontractor
The practical roles on both sides of a contract and the gaps that appear between them.
11 min
Activities: 0 of 2
Many people, one piece of work
When a contractor works on your site, several people share responsibility for the same job. On the client side there is usually a contract holder (the manager accountable for the contract), a company site representative who deals with the contractor day to day, a procurement or contracts lead, and an HSE adviser. On the contractor side there is a contract manager, a site supervisor, the workforce, and often one or more subcontractors with their own supervisors.
Each person sees only part of the picture. Most contractor safety failures happen in the space between these roles, where each person assumed someone else was dealing with a problem.
What each role usually owns
Accountable for the contract as a whole, including HSE performance. Decides on award, reviews performance and takes action when it is poor.
Match the task to the role that should own it
- Deciding to remove a poorly performing contractor
- Running the daily toolbox talk with the crew
- Verifying on site that agreed controls are in place
- Reviewing a method statement against the company standard
A site representative sees a contractor's worker using a damaged ladder. What is the best first action?