When Safety Became a Title Instead of a Commitment

Back in 2007, something shifted in the contractor world. Major companies like Exxon and Shell started requiring contractors to upload safety manuals online through platforms like ISNetworld (now ISN). For the first time, big corporations were actively managing their contractor relationships through mandatory safety requirements.

It sounded good on paper. Progressive, even.

But here's what actually happened.

The Checkbox Mentality

These major companies have entire legal teams and risk management departments working overtime to protect themselves. So they created comprehensive contractor requirements – OSHA compliance, specialized training programs, company-specific safety protocols. You want to work for them? You've got to check every single box.

The problem? Most contractors found the easiest path forward: designate someone as your "safety director" and move on.

You could literally just name someone as your safety director. No college degree required. No master's degree. No specialized training. Just a title on a form that satisfied a contractual requirement.

And because of these contractual requirements, every contractor's website now has a big safety tab. "We are the safest company of all time!" It's become a marketing necessity more than a reflection of reality. Companies feel they have to say it or they won't get hired.

Why Safety Stays on the Back Burner

Here's the other issue: there has been a lack of accessible resources. If you need your car fixed, there are plenty of places to go. There's a clear process. But safety management puts the responsibility on business owners who might be experts in roofing, gas drilling, or excavation – but not necessarily in comprehensive risk management.

What Needs to Happen

The gap between what's on paper and what's happening on the jobsite, that's where real risk lives. Designating a title and actually managing a safety program are two completely different things.

Contractors need more than a name on a form. They need hands-on support, expertise that shows up on the jobsite, and advisors who understand both the paperwork requirements and the day-to-day reality of high-risk work.

Our Total Risk Management Program is a fully integrated approach that unites safety management and insurance consulting into one continuous system. Instead of treating safety and insurance as two separate silos, we connect them using data from real jobsite activity to drive better insurance outcomes and lower total risk costs.