Liability boundaries on a multi-subcontractor site
A general contractor on a major construction project requested an independent expert opinion on a fall during work at height. Seven subcontractors were working on site at the same time, so the first question was to clarify liability boundaries.
The investigation reviewed contractual safety requirements, coordinator reports and the daily permit system. It found that a permit for work at height had been issued, but the lack of collective protection had not been reported back, and it did not come up in daily coordination either.
The opinion established that the formal permit system worked, but substantive control did not. On that basis the client redesigned coordination: issuing a permit was linked to an on-site check, and authority was assigned by name.