Contractor safety in Industry
What is co-activity or the Preliminary Joint Inspection?
Co-activity refers to the simultaneous activity of a Host Company and External Companies operating on the same site.
Such co-activity creates potential interferences that may generate occupational health, safety, and environmental risks.
The contractor safety plan defines the measures each party must take to prevent these risks.
The Initial Joint Inspection (IJI) is the joint workplace inspection carried out with the External Company.
Its objectives are to define the scope of intervention, exchange information, and analyze co-activity risks.
When such risks exist, representatives agree, before work begins, on a prevention plan that specifies the measures taken by each company to mitigate these risks.
When must a contractor safety contract be drafted?
According to Article R.4512-7 of the French Labor Code, drafting a prevention plan is mandatory in two cases:
- If the total number of working hours equals at least 400 hours per year.
- If the intervention is considered "hazardous" (as defined by the decrees of March 19, 1993, and May 10, 1994).
However, it is recommended to draft one even when it is not mandatory, in order to reduce the risk of accidents and facilitate cooperation with contractors regarding safety.
Annual contract
It is also possible to draft an annual prevention plan for recurring operations defined in an annual contract.
This annual prevention plan must not be too general and must be updated whenever necessary. For each intervention, it must be verified that the risk analysis is still up to date.
The prevention plan binds the responsibility of both the Host Company (HC) and the External Company (EC) carrying out the work.
