The HSE Act requires you to do everything that you can to make sure that no-one in your practice (including your patients, contractors, subcontractors and their employees) is harmed by:

• any hazards in your practice; or
• anything done or not done by your employees.
  

You must also do everything you can to warn any contractors who are carrying out work in your practice about any significant hazards that they might be exposed to that they would not ordinarily expect (e.g. if construction work will be carried out in an area containing flammable substances).

The Department of Labour has outlined the responsibilities and this information can be accessed here.

In addition to notifying contractors of the hazards in your workplace, we suggest you have the contractor acknowledge their responsibility to advise you of the hazards that may be encountered as a result of the work they are undertaking.

Download a copy of the Acknowledgement of Responsibilities document. This acknowledgement also covers the contractor’s responsibility for complying with your privacy and confidentiality policies. This document is subject to the following disclaimer.