Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Initial selection stage
A large number of major client organisations have qual-
ity assurance (QA), which requires the initial selection or 
pre-qualifi cation of suppliers and contractors. The suc-
cessful contractors are placed on an approved list from 

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160
which contractors are then selected for specifi c contract 
requirements.
Where organisations do not have formal QA 
systems, they would be well advised to adopt the same 
principles to ensure proper selection of competent 
contractors.
The selection process would require the contrac-
tor to supply relevant information regarding a number of 
areas of their business management in order for the client 
to form a judgement of their ability to properly carry out 
the work.
The common areas which are considered are usually 
concerned with ensuring the contractor is able to meet 
the technical requirements of the contract. These may 
include, where relevant, such items as:
➤
Financial 
standing
➤
Quality assurance procedures
➤
Technical experience of previous work of a similar 
nature
➤
Technical skills of contractor’s employees
➤
Technical procedures relevant to the contract
➤
Technical method statements
➤
References from previous clients
➤
Industrial relations record
➤
Environmental 
record.
Safety performance
In addition to information regarding the contractor’s 
technical ability to carry out the project works, the client 
should seek information to allow them to judge the safety 
management procedures and practice of the contractor.
Therefore, safety issues should form an integral part 
of the selection process. The client may seek informa-
tion on relevant areas, such as:
➤
Contractor’s safety policy and/or procedures manual
➤
Employees’ safety handbook/safety instructions
➤
Contractor’s safety management system and 
organisation
➤
Safety personnel – competence
➤
Safety 
representatives/committees
➤
Contractors safety record:
➤
Safety event statistics including; incidents, acci-
dents and fi res, etc
.
➤
Safety-related work references
➤
Enforcement actions taken against them
➤
Membership of relevant professional bodies
➤
Training procedures – sample records
➤
Maintenance procedures – sample records
➤
Risk assessment procedures – generic and specifi c
➤
Sample assessment records for the type of work
➤
Method statements – generic or specifi c from previ-
ous similar work
➤
Relevant insurance policies.
The client would review 
all
of the information presented to 
form a judgement on the competence of the contractor. In 
reality it is unlikely that everything provided by the contrac-
tor will be perfect; however, a balanced judgement should 
be possible based on the information provided. If this is 
not the case the contractor should not be approved and 
the contractor should be informed of the reasons why.