Quality Management Blog

How to Get Subcontractors Onboard with First Time Safety

Written by Ed Caldeira | Jul 8, 2025 6:54:50 AM

You can have the best safety program in the industry, but if your subcontractors aren’t aligned with it, you’re vulnerable. That’s why First Time Safety can’t just be a company policy, it has to be a shared, digital standard across every project. Today’s jobsites are too complex and fast-paced for paper checklists and disconnected processes. Digital tools like FTQ360 make safety expectations clear, trackable, and part of daily execution. They turn reactive compliance into real-time ownership.

Getting subcontractors to take responsibility for safety isn’t about micromanagement. It’s about equipping them with the right tools and visibility to do the right thing the first time - and know they’re doing it.

The problem with safety afterthoughts

Too often, subcontractors are onboarded with a quick safety orientation, handed some paperwork, and sent out to the field. When safety is treated as a formality, the results are predictable - missed verifications, inconsistent practices, and avoidable incidents.

First Time Safety starts by making safety part of the workflow, not a box to check. When subcontractors are engaged from the start with clear risk-based inspection plans, pre-task checklists, and real-time accountability, they perform better. FTQ360 gives you the structure to make that happen at scale.

A system for accountability without micromanagement

FTQ360 helps project teams set clear safety expectations for subcontractors without hovering over every move. With mobile-first inspection checklists, automated alerts, and digital scoring, subcontractors know what’s expected and how they’re doing.

First Time Safety tools include:

  • Task-based safety checklists tied to risk-based inspection plans
  • Digital subcontractor scorecards and performance tracking
  • Real-time safety verification workflows that flag missed checkpoints
  • Performance trend reports to support coaching and rewards

Subcontractors that understand how they’re being evaluated and see the benefits of defect-free, incident-free work, begin to take ownership. You move from compliance pressure to safety partnership.

Coaching subcontractors to self-manage safety

The best subcontractors don’t need reminders. They build safety into their own processes. But getting there takes a system that supports learning, improvement, and recognition.

FTQ360 provides visibility into performance trends that help you:

  • Identify gaps early and offer targeted feedback
  • Recognize and reward top performers
  • Mentor lower-tier subs toward first time safety goals

When safety results are tracked and shared, the whole jobsite levels up.

Conclusion. Your success depends on theirs

Your safety outcomes ride on your subcontractors’ performance. FTQ360 helps you go beyond paperwork to build real partnerships grounded in shared expectations, consistent accountability, and actionable data.

Ready to help your subs own safety the first time?

Schedule a demo and see how FTQ360 makes it possible.