From EHSToday, Kelly Meyers discusses who is responsible for safety of workers when a prime contractor engages with an independent contractor in various countries. Kelly writes:
United States
OSHA offers safety and health regulations for construction. According to the regulations for construction, “in no case shall the prime contractor be relieved of overall responsibility for compliance with the requirements of this part for all work to be performed under the contract.”
Workers in the engineering and construction industries face many hazards, as construction sites are one of the most dangerous places to work in the world, especially for contracted lone workers.
OSHA also indicates that “to the extent that a subcontractor of any tier agrees to perform any part of the contract, he also assumes responsibility for complying with the standards in this part with respect to that part… [W]ith respect to subcontracted work, the prime contractor and any subcontractor or subcontractors shall be deemed to have joint responsibility.”
In 2013, OSHA noted that 20 percent of occupational fatalities were in construction. Every month, the agency reports fatalities of contract workers, and often, publicizes citations and fines for both host companies and the employers of contract employees if they are killed or injured or endangered on the job.
Read the full story at Regulations for Contractor Employees Around the World
