There are certain clues and actions that a homeowner can take to ensure their contractor treats job site safety as a priority.
Why is this important? You want to hire a safety-minded contractor to ensure your property is not damaged and to reduce your personal risk. Furthermore, it would certainly take all the joy out of your construction project to know that someone was injured or even killed while working on your property.
Effective 2013, in Ontario, most contractors in the construction industry must be insured by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). Although some renovations are exempt from WSIB requirements, for the sake of peace of mind for all involved, it’s still best to have coverage for workers despite the legal exemptions.
A contractor who offers the option of paying cash to save on tax is probably not compliant with the law regarding WSIB certification and those who offer exceptionally low prices are suspect as well. Even if a contractor tells you they are compliant, the WSIB certificate has to be renewed every 90 days and so it is important that you verify coverage of your contractor with the WSIB.
WSIB coverage is really just the minimum, however. Homeowners should also ask about third party liability (which covers property damage) and satisfy themselves that their contractor’s amount of coverage is reasonable. A $1 million coverage might be adequate for most properties, but it depends on the value of the job, the property and what else is on the property and inside the home. It’s also prudent to ask your contractor the amount of the policy’s deductible as, for example, a $50,000 deductible could be prohibitive because it requires the contractor to have that amount available in liquid cash.
Ask your contractor if he or she has a safety program and what training the crew has undertaken. During the job, be on site regularly to observe safety procedures. Are workers on the roof tied off? Are crews wearing proper safety equipment? Are workers standing on the top rung of a ladder? Are they using tools safely?
Questioning your contractor about safety right from the start will send a strong message that safety is an important consideration in your decision to select them for your construction project.
Dunk & Associates is a 100 percent Canadian company, specializing in prevention in health and safety, environmental, and human resources.
Dunk & Associates
8 Hiscott Street, Unit #9
St. Catharines, ON
L2R 1C6 (905) 704-0800
Toll free: 1 (866) 754-8839
Fax: (905) 704-0177
[email protected]
http://www.dunkandassociates.com
