On-Site Health and Safety The contract includes requirements and responsibilities regarding project health and safety. These requirements/ responsibilities should be identified in the field guide for both ease of reference and as a check on whether these requirements are being met. Safety List your duties and requirements regarding safety and safety training. If there are any particular safety concerns specific to the project that will affect your on-site staff or the work itself, be sure to emphasize them. Create a safety log. Safety being so important, it is necessary to have a record of what was done to promote project safety. Accidents and Injuries Accidents often occur on a project. Include in your field guide a few notes on the incident reporting and insurance information, including a reference to where the full requirements can be located. Even if it’s empty – hopefully it is - keep an accident and injury log for the project. Hazardous Materials If you anticipate that your team will be working with or around hazardous materials, clearly identify the materials together
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with the requirements for handling. In some circumstances, you may also want to list health concerns associated with each type of material. Also include the procedure for when hazardous materials are unexpectedly encountered during your work, whether that procedure is outlined in the contract or it’s your company’s internal policy. Conclusion The construction contract between the owner and the contractor details all the terms of the agreement between the parties, but only part of this agreement relates to running the project. Time spent extracting the contractual requirements related to running the project is time well spent. Condensing this into a contract field guide helps ensure that the necessary information is assembled or developed up-front and is available through an easily used reference guide throughout the course of the work. Incorporating this practice into your company’s process helps to avoid common pitfalls on the job, enables greater visibility for the home office, and is extremely beneficial if and when disputes arise. BG David A. Scotti is the founder of the Scotti Law Group. He can be reached at dascotti@scottilaw.net. Jacob B. Mellor is a construction attorney at Scotti Law Group. He can be reached at jbmellor@scottilaw.net.