Contractor safety briefing template (PDF) with attendance list
Form for the safety briefing of contractors (Fremdfirmen) before work starts – with order details and contacts, coordination of mutual hazards, coordinator, 20 briefing topics from emergencies to work permits and an attendance list with signatures.
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When employees of a contractor work on your premises, both employers must cooperate, inform each other about the hazards and agree on protective measures (Section 8 (1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, ArbSchG; Section 6 DGUV Regulation 1). As the client, you must also make sure the contractor's employees have received appropriate instructions on the hazards on your premises (Section 8 (2) ArbSchG).
This template records that safety briefing (Sicherheitseinweisung) before work starts: order details and contacts on both sides, the coordination of mutual hazards with a coordinator, 20 typical briefing topics from emergencies to work requiring a permit, and an attendance list signed by everyone briefed.
What the template contains
- PDF form with order, work area, period and contacts on both sides
- Coordination checklist: contractor's risk assessment, mutual hazards, coordinator and supervisors
- 20 briefing topics from emergencies and escape routes to PPE, hazardous substances and work requiring a permit
- Attendance list for 18 people with signatures, plus signature fields for client and contractor
How to use the template
- 1
Agree in advance
Before work starts, clarify with the contractor what work is planned, which hazards come from your site and from their work, and who coordinates. Ask for the risk assessment or work plan for the order.
- 2
Brief on site
Go through the topics at the work location with the contractor's employees – in a language they understand. Tick “N/A” for items that do not apply, and enter order-specific hazards and required permits in the free-text field.
- 3
Collect signatures and file
All participants sign, as do the person giving the briefing and the contractor's responsible person. Anyone who joins later is briefed before starting work and added to the sheet.
Legal basis
- Section 8 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (ArbSchG): cooperation between several employers, instructions for employees of other employers
- Section 5 (3) DGUV Regulation 1: supporting the contractor with its risk assessment, supervisors for particular hazards
- Section 6 DGUV Regulation 1: cooperation between several companies, person to coordinate the work (coordinator)
- Section 10 ArbSchG: emergency measures taking other persons present into account
- DGUV Information 215-830: cooperation between companies under contracts for work (Werkverträge)
Frequently asked questions
Who has to instruct a contractor's employees?
The contractor instructs its own employees on their work. As the client, however, you know the hazards of your site and must make sure the contractor's employees have received appropriate instructions on them (Section 8 (2) ArbSchG). DGUV Information 215-830 describes the client briefing the contractor's responsible person on the site-specific rules. Many companies also brief every contractor employee directly on site – which is exactly what this template is for.
When is a coordinator needed?
When the activities of different companies could endanger one another. The companies then appoint a person to coordinate the work; to avert particular hazards, that person is given authority to issue instructions (Section 6 (1) DGUV Regulation 1). Enter the name on the briefing form so everyone knows whom to contact.
Does every contractor employee have to sign?
The law does not prescribe a specific form. A signature from every person briefed is, however, the simplest proof that they know the rules – important if the employers' liability insurance association (Berufsgenossenschaft) or the authorities ask questions after an accident. Digital confirmations at a terminal or via a link work just as well, provided it is clear who confirmed what and when.
You may use and adapt the template freely in your own company and for your own clients. It reflects the regulations named as they stand.
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