Teaming up with a Contractor. Myth or Reality?

From Control to Partnership: The Evolution of Working with Contractors

Ensuring safety when working with contracting organizations is one of the most difficult challenges for any large enterprise. When hundreds of organizations and thousands of workers are on site simultaneously, traditional control methods stop working. Liliya Kutergina, Head of the HSE Department at Novovoronezh NPP, shares a unique ten-year experience of transforming relationships with contractors: from strict fines and "boards of shame" to creating a single team united by common safety standards.

The presentation details the path the plant took to achieve zero injuries among contractors. The speaker demonstrates by example how the transition from reactive response to proactive procedures and the involvement of top managers allowed for a radical change in the situation at the construction site and the operating plant.

Key Elements of the Contractor Safety Management System

The system built at Novovoronezh NPP is based on several fundamental principles that ensure not just formal compliance with requirements, but a real change in worker behavior.

• Uniform standards and awareness. Signing bilateral agreements on the adoption of uniform safety standards. This is important, as the contractor must clearly understand the rules of the game even before work begins. An open bank of positive practices has been created for sharing experience.
• Monitoring and self-assessment. Implementation of an assessment system based on uniform criteria, starting with basic things — ideal change houses and tool rooms. Contractors learn to independently identify dangerous actions and micro-injuries, which is rewarded with additional points in the rating.
• Education and training. Development of specialized express training sessions for different categories of personnel (from line managers to inspectors). Practical classes at training grounds with video recording and subsequent analysis of mistakes allow for the rapid formation of necessary safe behavior skills.
• Turnkey risk management. Integration of risk assessment at all stages: from including requirements in the terms of reference and procurement documentation to visualizing risks directly at the workplace. This ensures that the contractor arrives prepared and is aware of potential hazards.

Expertise and Motivation: How to Choose a Reliable Partner

The speaker analyzes a critically important stage — signing the contract. A procedure for mandatory expert review of HSE documents (Special Assessment of Working Conditions, medical examinations, Work Execution Plans) before concluding a contract has been implemented. If an organization does not meet the requirements, the contract is not signed, which prevents unprepared contractors from entering a hazardous facility.

To motivate contractors, the "HSE Leader" regulation was developed. Achieving a high level of safety gives an advantage in subsequent procurement procedures in the "Quality" section. This approach creates healthy competition and stimulates organizations to continuously improve.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to integrate safety requirements into procurement documentation and terms of reference?
• Which monitoring and self-assessment tools are most effective for contracting organizations?
• How to organize practical training for contractors on workplace risk assessment?
• What is the "repair operations success regulation" and how does it help prevent incidents?
• How to build a contractor motivation system without direct financial injections from the customer?