What is Contractor Management?
Under OHSA Section 37(2), a principal contractor carries responsibility for making sure contractors working on its site have their own compliant safety documentation in place before work starts. In practice, that means requesting, checking and tracking safety files, agreements and certificates from every contractor on a project.
Hazard Hub's Contractor Management tool is a portal for that relationship: it lets a principal contractor or main business invite contractors, request their documentation, track approval status, and keep a record of the Section 37(2) agreement in one place — instead of managing it through email threads and shared folders.
It's designed to work alongside the Safety File Generator, so a contractor's own safety file and the principal contractor's oversight of it live in a connected system rather than two disconnected processes.
What does it do?
- Lets you invite contractors onto a shared portal and request their safety documentation
- Tracks the approval status of each contractor's submitted documents
- Keeps a record of Section 37(2) agreements between principal contractor and contractor
- Gives contractors a way to submit and update their own documentation directly, rather than emailing PDFs back and forth
- Provides a single view across all contractors on a project or site
How does it help?
- Reduces time spent chasing contractors individually for outstanding documents
- Gives visibility into which contractors are approved, pending or missing documentation before work starts
- Keeps a defensible record of what was requested and received, and when
- Reduces reliance on email and spreadsheets to track contractor compliance status
- Makes it easier to onboard a new contractor with a consistent, repeatable process
Who is it for?
How it works
Set up your contractor portal
Create your organisation's contractor management space.
Invite contractors
Send an invitation for a contractor to join and submit their documentation — they can register and use their own HH-Code to link to your account.
Request and review documents
Request the documents you need from each contractor and review what's submitted.
Track approval status
See at a glance which contractors are approved, pending review, or missing information.
Keep records current
Contractors can update their documentation over time, and you retain a record of what changed and when.
Key features
- Contractor invitation and onboarding
- Document request and approval tracking
- Section 37(2) agreement record-keeping
- Shared portal for contractors to submit their own documents
- Centralised visibility across all contractors on a project
South African context
OHSA Section 37(2) places a specific duty on a principal contractor (or an employer using a mandatary) to satisfy itself that a contractor is complying with the Act before and during the work. On a construction site, this sits alongside the Construction Regulations 2014's requirements around contractor safety files. Hazard Hub's Contractor Management tool is built around this South African principal contractor / contractor relationship, rather than a generic vendor-management model.
Common HSE challenges this tool can help address
- Chasing multiple contractors individually by email or WhatsApp for outstanding documents
- No single view of which contractors are actually compliant right now
- Losing track of which version of a document a contractor last submitted
- Onboarding a new contractor with an inconsistent, ad-hoc process each time
- Difficulty proving what was requested and when, after the fact
Frequently asked questions
What is contractor management software?
It's software that helps a principal contractor or business manage the compliance documentation, approvals and communication involved in working with contractors — instead of tracking it manually through email and spreadsheets.
Does this cover OHSA Section 37(2) requirements?
The tool is built to support the record-keeping and document tracking involved in a Section 37(2) relationship between a principal contractor and its contractors. It supports managing that process; it doesn't replace the judgement needed to assess a contractor's actual competence and compliance.
Can contractors submit their own documents?
Yes — contractors can join your portal and submit and update their own documentation directly, rather than sending it to you individually.
Does Hazard Hub verify a contractor's competence for me?
No. The tool helps you request, track and organise contractor documentation. Assessing whether a contractor is genuinely competent and compliant remains a decision for your HSE team.
Is this only for construction companies?
It's most directly relevant to construction and other industries that regularly use contractors on-site, but any business managing multiple contractors' compliance documentation can use it.
Can I see all my contractors' compliance status in one place?
Yes — the portal gives a single view across all contractors linked to your account.
Which Hazard Hub plan includes Contractor Management?
Contractor Management is included on Hazard Hub's Business and Enterprise plans. See the Packages page for current plan details.
Stay connected for HSE insights, updates and compliance news.