Tool Type / POLICY
Geography / All / Source: / Ericsson

MODEL SUPPLIER OHS STANDARDS

BENEFITS

Even if you’re not legally responsible for your suppliers’ safety compliance, suppliers with subpar safety records can reflect poorly on your company. So consider setting safety standards for your suppliers and conducting audits/inspections to ensure their compliance.

HOW TO USE THE TOOL

Adapt these model supplier OHS standards for your company’s OHS program and policies, its operations and the OHSlaws in your jurisdiction. Incorporate it into all your agreements with your suppliers.

OTHER RESOURCES:

Ericsson

Contractor Compliance Centre

MODEL SUPPLIER OHS STANDARDS

POLICY STATEMENT:

[Insert company name] (“The Company”) strives to create a safe and healthy working environment for all with a coordinated approach to health and safety. A safe and healthy working environment for all workers worldwide is a commitment the Company takes very seriously. The Company includes in this commitment its suppliers and their employees.

The Company has issued a Code of Conduct to all suppliers covering requirements in the areas of basic human rights, labour and health and safety standards, environmental management and anti-corruption in the workplace. This document describes the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) requirements, which we place on our suppliers. The OHS performance of our supply chain will be evaluated through supplier audits and assessments.

SUPPLIER OHS STANDARDS:

The Company requires our Suppliers to have an OHS Management System incorporating the following minimum standards:

OHS Policy. The Supplier must have an OHS policy. The policy must be appropriate to the nature and scale of the supplier’s OHS risks and must include a commitment to prevention of injury and ill health and to continual improvement.

Risk Assessment. The Supplier must identify and document its OHS risks and determine relevant controls.

Management System. The Supplier must consider OHS aspects in its management system.

Improvement Program. The Supplier must have an OHS improvement program in place, including objectives and action plans.

Legislation. The Supplier must comply with applicable OHS laws and regulations. In case of a conflict, the local laws and regulations must always take priority over the Company’s standards.

Competence. The Supplier must ensure that all workers are competent for their assigned tasks and have appropriate education, training and experience.

Reporting and Investigation. The Supplier must have appropriate incident reporting and investigation procedures in place, including a process for corrective action.

COMPANY OHS STANDARDS:

Where applicable, the Suppliers’ OHS Management System must as a minimum requirement meet or exceed the Company’s OHS standards listed below:

  • Chemical handling
  • Climbing and working at heights
  • Construction and civil work management
  • Driver and vehicle safety
  • Environmental and occupational noise
  • Fire prevention
  • Working alone
  • Confined spaces
  • Manual materials handling
  • PPE
  • Working with electricity.

The Supplier must identify the Company OHS standards that apply in advance of starting the agreed scope of work. The Company OHS standards may be modified by the Company at any time. Revisions of the Company OHS standards will apply from the date of their release unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Company. In the event that the Supplier identifies a change to the Company OHS standards that materially impacts its ability to deliver the applicable scope of work, the Company and the Supplier must (acting reasonably) discuss and agree the method, implications and timeline for implementing such change.

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