Knowella

Contractor Risk Classification

Classifies a contractor by the risk of the work they do, from low risk services to high risk construction. Set at prequalification and reviewed on scope change. Carried out by the contract owner. Drives induction depth, audit frequency and supervision level.

KnowContractorAssessmentCON-003Pinned in navigation
Completed by
Carried out by the contract owner
Raised
When the task, area or population being assessed is new or

Summary

In short

  • A contractor risk classification is an assessment used in KnowContractor that classifies a contractor by the risk of the work they do, from low risk services to high risk construction. It is built against ISO 45001 cl.8.1.4 and forms part of the Contractor Onboarding and Management programme.
  • Set at prequalification and reviewed on scope change. Carried out by the contract owner.
  • The template holds 48 fields across 5 sections.
  • Scoring is risk tier, where high is bad.
  • ISO 45001 is occupational health and safety management systems. The international standard for managing worker health and safety. Certifiable, and the backbone of most of this library.
  • It connects to the rest of the library: links Vendor.

What it is

What it is

What is a contractor risk classification?

A contractor risk classification is an assessment used in KnowContractor that classifies a contractor by the risk of the work they do, from low risk services to high risk construction. It is built against ISO 45001 cl.8.1.4 and forms part of the Contractor Onboarding and Management programme.

When is a contractor risk classification completed?

A contractor risk classification is completed when the task, area or population being assessed is new or has materially changed. Set at prequalification and reviewed on scope change.

When to use it

When to use it, and when not to

This assessment is one step in a larger programme. Using it for work that belongs to a neighbouring template produces records that are hard to report on later.

Use it for

  • The event or activity this assessment covers has occurred, or is about to
  • A new record is needed; each one gets its own ID in the form CRC-2026-000
  • You are running the Contractor Onboarding and Management programme and this is one of its steps
  • A linked record needs this one to exist: links vendor

Not for

  • Contractor Prequalification Questionnaire, which collects a contractor's safety, insurance, training and performance information before they are approved.
  • Contractor Safety Statistics Review, which reviews a contractor's injury rates, citations and experience modifier over recent years.
  • Contractor Approval Record, which records the decision to approve a contractor to work on site.
  • Anything outside KnowContractor, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process

Standards

What it is built against

ISO 45001Occupational health and safety management systems

The international standard for managing worker health and safety. Certifiable, and the backbone of most of this library.

ISOInternational Organization for Standardization

A voluntary international standard. Widely adopted, often required by customers, and certifiable where a management system standard.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the contractor risk classification template based on?+

It is built against ISO 45001 cl.8.1.4. ISO 45001 is occupational health and safety management systems. The international standard for managing worker health and safety. Certifiable, and the backbone of most of this library. ISO is international Organization for Standardization. A voluntary international standard. Widely adopted, often required by customers, and certifiable where a management system standard.

What sections does the contractor risk classification contain?+

There are 5 sections: header, hazard exposure, exposure to our operation, frequency and control, classification. Together they hold 48 fields, 42 of which are required.

How often is a contractor risk classification raised?+

A new record is raised when the task, area or population being assessed is new or has materially changed. Each one is given an ID in the form CRC-2026-000, so it can be traced and referenced from other records.

Which programme does the contractor risk classification belong to?+

It is part of Contractor Onboarding and Management. Nobody through the gate without evidence, and performance that feeds the next award.

How is a contractor risk classification scored?+

Scoring is risk tier. High is bad. Scores exist to make the form tell you something, not to produce a percentage for its own sake.

Can the contractor risk classification template be changed?+

Yes. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it. Most teams install it as it is, run it for a cycle, then adjust.

The agents

What the agents do with it

The form is the easy part. Keeping it current, routing it to the right owner and holding the evidence together is the work that actually slips.

KnowContractor

Holds the contractor risk classification library against your registers, routes each record to its owner, and keeps the evidence trail together.

Ella

Coordinates the crew, rolls completion and exceptions into one view, and holds every write for your approval before it touches a record.

This template lives in KnowContractorcontractor management. Prequalification, approval, induction, permits and performance.

Sources

Sources

  • ISO 45001 — Occupational health and safety management systems
  • ISO — International Organization for Standardization

KnowContractor

Also in Prequalification

6Browse the whole library
Assessment

Contractor Prequalification Questionnaire

Collects a contractor's safety, insurance, training and performance information before they are approved. Sent before any work is awarded. Completed by the contractor and scored by the contract owner. Sets the tier that determines how closely they are managed.

Review

Contractor Safety Statistics Review

Reviews a contractor's injury rates, citations and experience modifier over recent years. Run at prequalification and yearly. Carried out by the contract owner. Trend matters more than a single year's numbers.

Record

Contractor Approval Record

Records the decision to approve a contractor to work on site. Completed once prequalification passes. Approved by the contract owner with safety. No approval means no site access, which this record enforces.

Review

Contractor Safety Program Review

Reviews the contractor's own written safety programme against your requirements. Run at prequalification and yearly. Carried out by safety. Checks whether their programme is real or a template downloaded for tender purposes.

Record

Subcontractor Declaration

Records any subcontractors a contractor intends to use. Completed before work starts and updated if it changes. Provided by the contractor. Undeclared subcontractors are how unvetted people end up on your site.

Record

Prequalification Renewal Record

Renews a contractor's prequalification before it expires. Run yearly or to your renewal cycle. Managed by procurement. Lapsed prequalification suspends site access until it is resolved.

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