• Carry out regular safety inspections of all subcontractor work areas.
• Track key performance indicators including incidents, near misses, and compliance.
• Discuss subcontractor safety performance at weekly progress meetings.
• Provide support and improvement plans for underperforming subcontractors first.
• Recognise and reward subcontractors who consistently achieve good safety standards.
• Audit subcontractor RAMS compliance, permit adherence, and training records.
• Record all monitoring findings and share them with the subcontractor management.
• Escalate persistent non-compliance through the contractual enforcement process.
• Compare performance across subcontractors to identify best practice for sharing.
• Brief subcontractors on the monitoring programme and performance expectations at induction.

• DON'T assume subcontractors will maintain standards without ongoing monitoring.
• DON'T use monitoring solely as a punishment tool; support improvement first.
• DON'T ignore declining subcontractor performance hoping it will improve on its own.
• DON'T limit monitoring to paperwork checks; observe actual work practices on site.
• DON'T collect performance data without analysing trends and acting on findings.
• DON'T apply monitoring inconsistently across different subcontractors on the project.
• DON'T only focus on negative findings; recognise and share good practice too.
• DON'T delay escalation when a subcontractor repeatedly fails to address findings.
• DON'T treat the monitoring programme as a tick-box exercise for the safety file.
• DON'T forget to monitor your own directly employed teams to the same standard.

See also: Subcontractor Safety Management | Subcontractor RAMS Review