Over the last few years Eurosafe UK have pre-qualified numerous contractors for our clients. The exercise involves checking that contractors are compliant in several areas in order that clients can be satisfied that they are appointing a contractor who meets the following criteria:

• An up to date health and safety policy that is relevant for their business
• An ability to undertake a risk assessment
• A management team trained in health and safety to the level required to enable them to manage their workforce whilst working on a clients premises
• Operatives trained to a recognised level to undertake works within a clients premises
• An adequate number of individuals trained in first aid to the level required by the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981
• A thorough vetting exercise to ensure that the contractor only appoints competent sub-contractors to undertake work on their behalf
• Asbestos awareness training for all persons who may come into contact with asbestos, and also for person s who plan work which may disturb asbestos

With the introduction of CDM 2007 we had an ideal opportunity to revisit our procedures and to re-launch our vetting exercise by amalgamating the various different client databases into a single entity. Our scheme has now been formally re-launched as Eurosafe UK CDM Competent. The vetting exercise itself is fairly similar to the existing one as we were already stipulating many of the criteria that the CDM 2007 ACoP states are a pre-requisite for individual operatives and contractors. However there are several key changes e.g.:

• A new vetting category of checking if migrant workers from outside the EU are employed
• An amalgamated database which will allow clients to select a contractor who has already completed the exercise for another organisation
• A Eurosafe UK CDM Competent certificate will be issued to the contractor upon successful completion of the exercise
• A Eurosafe UK CDM Competent logo that can be used by a successful contractor on their letterheads, website, vehicles etc. will also be issued
• New contractor categories to include both high risk and low risk facilities contractors