Duty of Care towards Contractors

15 February 2022

Blog post

Strategies may be needed to develop entrepreneurs` skills and improve arrangements to verify that entrepreneurs are managing their business properly. In practice, this may well include: this article sets out the general legal concepts used in the law to allocate a proportionate debt. Next, we share the general advice of the health and safety manager on how to effectively manage contractors to keep your business running smoothly and violates your duty of care to contractors. In summary, an argument that no obligation was owed to the employee of an independent contractor is viable under New Jersey law – but proceed with caution when making the argument and, by discovery, develop factual evidence that distinguishes your case from the above exceptions. Contractors and subcontractors should conduct daily checks to determine if what should be done is being done; and clients should regularly review the contractor`s performance to determine if the work is being performed as agreed. In this project, the applicant`s employer, not the GoC, was responsible for providing the applicant with its equipment and ensuring its safety. It was his employer, not the GOC, who supervised him and provided him with the equipment he was using. The applicable State`s jurisprudence did not impose any obligation on general contractors to provide training, equipment and supervision to the employees of subcontractors. For these reasons, the court agreed with the trial court that the GC had no duty of care to the plaintiff in this case. The HSE advocates a five-step approach to managing contractors and ensuring safe work: so if you`re a homeowner and are tempted to closely monitor the smallest details of the implementation of your home renovation project, be careful not to go too far. The means and methods must remain the responsibility of the contractor. The more involved you get into making decisions about how the work will be done, the greater your responsibility can be.

This does not mean that you cannot inspect and make suggestions or stop the work if it is not done correctly. However, this means that the contractor must be allowed to control its subcontractors and monitor day-to-day construction decisions. Aside from general care, your best protection is to check references and make sure your contractor is properly insured. And if you`re a contractor, remember that in most cases, it`s your sole responsibility to make sure your employees and contractors work safely. Be sure to review safety protocols with your employees and contractors and adopt a zero-tolerance policy for those who refuse to work safely. If someone is injured on the job, you`re probably responsible, not the owner. Take your time to ensure that your subcontractors are properly insured and properly licensed, and that you have your own insurance tailored to the particular project. An “ounce” of protection can protect you from a “pound” of grip. The duty of care is breached if the defendant has failed to exercise the due diligence expected of a reasonable man in the circumstances. For example, consideration could be given to not giving contractors a basic information session on the site, as they are not doing their due diligence. Either by not providing contractors with reasonable PE, or if they don`t have a process themselves to ensure that contractors only work if they wear a reasonable PE.

The Defective Premises Act 1972 provides that a contractor who builds an apartment or renovates or expands an existing dwelling has a duty to ensure that the construction work.” are carried out in a professional or, where appropriate, expert manner with appropriate materials so that the dwelling is fit to live in respect of the work after its completion. General contractors should be careful in the language of project agreements so as not to undertake due diligence with respect to employees of subcontractors and subcontractors. The Indiana Supreme Court concluded in the above case that the above contract language stated that the general contractor “has assumed a duty of care with respect to workplace safety for all employees.” The tribunal included subcontractors, subcontractors and their employees. The obvious answer is the subcontractor, but in most cases, a state workers` compensation law will prevent the employee from suing a cause of action directly against their employer. Instead, an employee who seeks to restore beyond workers` compensation benefits will make their claim against other companies involved in the construction project, such as .B the landowner or general contractor. The employee`s first hurdle in making a claim against these companies is whether a “duty of care” is due. However, the Indiana Supreme Court overturned this decision, ruling that while a general contractor does not normally owe due diligence to a subcontractor`s employees, it may contractually assume the obligation to create a safe working environment that requires the general contractor to oversee the safety of the entire project. .