Red Funnel

The following rules apply when Contractors are engaged for works of engineering construction, repair or maintenance by Red Funnel Group Ltd, regardless of whether the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) 1994 apply. These procedures may also be used as a guide in other areas where a Contractor is engaged to carry out work other than of an engineering nature, such as contract cleaning of facilities and terminal buildings.

The assessment of a Contractor's competency with respect to the management of Health and Safety at Work, will be dependent on the level of risk involved. Each and every Contractor will be assessed on the basis of our past knowledge of its work, its reputation, the size of its organisation and the level of specific expertise in the field of work.

When assessing Contractors we aim to satisfy ourselves, as far as is reasonable that the Contractor will carry out the work to acceptable standards of Health and Safety and that accidents to Contractor's staff and others will be avoided. We will not act as consultants to Contractors on Health and Safety matters, or dictate how the work is to be carried out. If a Contractor has difficulty in meeting our requirements, or understanding its obligations under safety legislation, it must seek advice from a professional safety consultant. A list of independent safety consultants can be obtained from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) or the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

Red Funnel publishes Standard Operating Procedures for Contractors (SOPC) which are available upon request. Whenever practicable, we strive to use Contractors who are capable of providing their own safety management; in which case SOPC are intended only as a guide. SOPC are used as part of the contract only when the Contractor's own safety management is judged by us to need this level of support.

Where appropriate, the person responsible for the work, "The Responsible Person", must ensure that the Contractor is familiar with the requirements of the relevant sections of SOPC prior to commencing work. Site specific procedures for Contractors may be devised at each port to complement the requirements of these guidelines and procedures.

We expect approved Contractors to sign SOPC documentation before starting work with Red Funnel. However, if a company supplies all relevant Health & Safety Policy and Safe Systems at Work documentation, it will be left to the discretion of the Responsible Person to assess the competency of the Contractor to carry out the work.