Contractor management in Germany: coordinating, briefing and documenting contractors
Maintenance company, cleaning service, tradespeople: as soon as contractors work on your premises, both sides have duties. How to select, brief and coordinate contractors (Fremdfirmen) and prove that everything was in place.
Last updated on 8 min readAMS Go editorial team
Key points at a glance
- Where employees of several employers work at one site, the employers must cooperate and coordinate on hazards (Section 8 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, ArbSchG; Section 6 DGUV Regulation 1).
- The client must make sure the contractor's employees have received appropriate instructions on the hazards on its premises, and support the contractor with its risk assessment (Section 8 (2) ArbSchG, Section 5 (3) DGUV Regulation 1).
- If the work may endanger each other, a person is appointed to coordinate it – with authority to give instructions where there are particular hazards.
- Written safety rules, a documented briefing before work starts, permits for hazardous work and an overview of who is on site have proven effective.
Who is responsible for what
When a contractor works on your premises, each employer remains responsible for its own employees. The contractor assesses the hazards of its work and instructs its people. But the client knows the hazards of its site – installations, hazardous substances, traffic routes, emergency procedures – and must pass this knowledge on.
select the contractor carefully and define safety requirements in the order
Contractorcarry out a risk assessment for its own work
inform about site-specific hazards and support the risk assessment
Contractorinstruct its own employees, provide PPE and suitable work equipment
ensure an on-site briefing, regulate access and permits
Contractorfollow the client's rules
coordinate work where there is mutual endangerment
Contractorreport hazards arising from its own work
ensure supervision for activities with particular hazards
Contractorreport accidents and near misses
Selecting and commissioning contractors
- check expertise and reliability: qualifications, certificates, references
- include safety requirements in the order in writing, for example through contractor rules
- define contact persons on both sides
- clarify whether subcontractors will be used – and that the rules also apply to them
- for recurring orders, evaluate safety performance regularly
Briefing before work starts
Before contractor staff start, they must know the hazards at the place of work. The client must make sure they have received appropriate instructions (Section 8 (2) ArbSchG). In practice, this means a briefing with a record:
- hazards at the place of work: installations, hazardous substances, traffic, fall hazards
- emergency procedures: alarm, escape routes, assembly point, first aid, emergency numbers
- site rules: PPE requirements, smoking ban, driving routes, photo and access rules
- contact persons and reporting channels for defects or accidents
- approved work areas and working hours
Coordination where work may endanger each other
If the work of different companies may endanger each other – such as welding next to a solvent store or crane work above a traffic route – the companies appoint a person to coordinate the work. To prevent particular hazards, this person is given authority to issue instructions (Section 6 DGUV Regulation 1).
Activities with particular hazards are also monitored by supervisors who enforce the agreed protective measures. Client and contractor agree on who provides this supervision (Section 5 (3) DGUV Regulation 1). On construction sites with several employers, the German Construction Site Ordinance with its health and safety coordinator (SiGeKo) also applies.
Permits for hazardous work
For work with particular hazards, a permit-to-work procedure has proven effective: work only begins once a responsible person on site has checked the protective measures and approved them in writing. Typical cases:
- hot work such as welding, cutting and soldering outside designated areas
- work in vessels and confined spaces
- work on electrical installations
- work with a risk of falling, for example on roofs
- work in potentially explosive areas
The permit records who does what, where and when, which measures were taken – fire watch, gas testing, isolating and locking out – and who accepts the work once it is completed.
Documentation: what you should be able to prove
- order with safety requirements
- briefing records per person with date and content
- the contractor's risk assessment or work plan for the specific job
- appointment of coordinator and supervisors
- permits for hazardous work
- sign-in and sign-out: who was on site when
- defects, accidents and near misses during the work
After an accident, the employers' liability insurance association and the authorities ask for exactly these documents. Without them, it is hard to prove that the client met its duties.
Checklist: contractor management
- Contractors selected for expertise and reliability
- Safety requirements defined in the order
- Contact persons named on both sides
- Site-specific hazards communicated to the contractor
- Briefing carried out and documented before work starts
- Coordinator appointed where work may endanger each other
- Permits introduced for hot work, confined spaces and electrical work
- Sign-in and sign-out organised, people on site known at all times
- Acceptance after the work is completed
Free templates for this guide
As PDF and Excel, no sign-up – free to use in your own company.
Frequently asked questions
Who is liable if a contractor's employee has an accident?
It depends on the individual case. The contractor is responsible for its employees, the client for the hazards of its site, for providing information and – where work may endanger each other – for coordination. Anyone who can prove they met these duties is in a much better position.
Do contractors have to be instructed?
The contractor instructs its own employees. The client must, however, make sure they have received appropriate instructions on the hazards on its premises (Section 8 (2) ArbSchG) – in practice through an on-site briefing with a record.
When do I need a coordinator?
When the work of different companies may endanger each other (Section 6 DGUV Regulation 1). Where there are particular hazards, the person is given authority to issue instructions. On construction sites, a health and safety coordinator (SiGeKo) is required under the Construction Site Ordinance under certain conditions.
What is a work permit?
A written approval for hazardous work such as welding, work in vessels or on electrical installations. It defines the protective measures and is signed by a responsible person on site before the work begins.
Does this also apply to cleaners and tradespeople?
Yes. The duties apply to all contractors, regardless of sector and length of assignment. The scope and depth of the briefing depend on the hazard.
Terms from the glossary
This guide gives a general overview of German occupational safety law and does not replace legal advice. The regulations in force and the rules of the statutory accident insurance institutions are authoritative.
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