Skip to main content

Contractors · Construction contractors

What a construction contractor has to keep up with, and who does it.

Fall protection, the chemical safety program, the OSHA injury log, and everything ISNetworld, Avetta, Veriforce or a hiring client grades you on: your EMR letter, your drug and alcohol policy, your written safety program. Arikano works out which of these are yours, drafts the written programs and keeps the dates. You approve it.

Rules for every construction contractor
17
Rules depending on how you work
36
Practices Arikano recommends
15
Documents Arikano drafts
22

Review status. Not yet reviewed. No credentialed professional has reviewed the rules on this page so far. Each rule names the regulation or standard it comes from, so you can check it yourself.

Where to start

The heaviest items on a new construction contractor’s list.

  1. State contractor license current

    In most states contracting without a license is a criminal offense, and in some you cannot even sue to collect on work you did unlicensed. The renewal usually carries continuing education behind it.

    State law · State contractor licensing statute (varies by state; e.g. California Business & Professions Code §7028, Florida Statutes ch. 489)

  2. Workers’ compensation coverage in force

    If someone gets hurt on the clock this is what pays their medical bills and their wages. Going without it where your state requires it is not a fine — in most states it is a criminal offense and you become personally liable for the claim.

    State law · State workers’ compensation act (varies by state; Texas is the only state where coverage is elective for a private employer)

  3. State unemployment insurance account registered

    The account your state unemployment contributions are paid into — every state runs a program and every covered employer registers with it, usually with the labor or workforce department rather than the revenue one. It is worth getting right early for a reason that is not obvious: your contribution rate is experience-rated, so the claims filed against this account in your first years set what you pay for years afterwards. Register before your first payroll. The wage base and the new-employer rate are set by your state and change, so take both from the state.

    State law · State unemployment insurance statute (each state its own). 26 U.S.C. §3302 gives an employer a credit against Federal Unemployment Tax Act liability for contributions paid into a certified state unemployment fund, which is why every state operates a programme and a covered employer registers with it

For every construction contractor

What applies from day one.

Each rule with the regulation or standard it comes from, and how often Arikano checks it again. Items marked “Arikano guidance, not a law” are practices Arikano recommends, not rules. The few that wait until you have employees say so.

  • State contractor license current

    In most states contracting without a license is a criminal offense, and in some you cannot even sue to collect on work you did unlicensed. The renewal usually carries continuing education behind it.

    Comes from
    State lawState contractor licensing statute (varies by state; e.g. California Business & Professions Code §7028, Florida Statutes ch. 489)
    Arikano checks
    Every 2 years
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Workers’ compensation coverage in force

    If someone gets hurt on the clock this is what pays their medical bills and their wages. Going without it where your state requires it is not a fine — in most states it is a criminal offense and you become personally liable for the claim.

    Once you have employees

    Comes from
    State lawState workers’ compensation act (varies by state; Texas is the only state where coverage is elective for a private employer)
    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • State unemployment insurance account registered

    The account your state unemployment contributions are paid into — every state runs a program and every covered employer registers with it, usually with the labor or workforce department rather than the revenue one. It is worth getting right early for a reason that is not obvious: your contribution rate is experience-rated, so the claims filed against this account in your first years set what you pay for years afterwards. Register before your first payroll. The wage base and the new-employer rate are set by your state and change, so take both from the state.

    Comes from
    State lawState unemployment insurance statute (each state its own). 26 U.S.C. §3302 gives an employer a credit against Federal Unemployment Tax Act liability for contributions paid into a certified state unemployment fund, which is why every state operates a programme and a covered employer registers with itRead the source for State unemployment insurance account registered (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • State income tax withholding account registered

    The account you withhold your employees’ state income tax into and remit from. You register with your state’s revenue department, usually online and usually free, and you need your EIN in hand to do it. Register before your first payroll, not after: the penalty is normally for remitting late, and you cannot remit to an account that does not exist. A few states have no wage income tax and therefore no withholding account — if yours is one of them, waive this and keep the state unemployment insurance account, which every state has.

    Comes from
    State lawState income tax withholding statute — an employer registers with the state revenue department and withholds from wages paid in that state. Which states impose a wage income tax, the registration route, and the deposit frequency are all set state by state
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Fatality and severe-injury reporting procedure

    A death is eight hours. An in-patient hospitalization, an amputation or the loss of an eye is twenty-four. That clock runs whether or not you are exempt from keeping the 300 log, and whether or not anyone in the office knows the number to call.

    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Certificate of occupancy for the premises

    If you are taking a space that staff or customers will use, the building official signs off that it may be occupied for what you intend to do in it — and a new certificate is normally required when the USE changes, even if nothing is built. That is the one that catches people: a unit that was a shop is not automatically an approved kitchen, a gym or a clinic, and the landlord’s existing certificate does not transfer to your use. Find out before you sign, because the work it takes to pass is the tenant’s problem and the rent starts either way. If you work from home or out of a vehicle, waive this one.

    Comes from
    City or countyLocal building code as adopted by the jurisdiction — a certificate of occupancy is issued by the building official before a structure or a changed use may be occupied (e.g. International Building Code §111, adopted in some edition by most US jurisdictions). Which edition is in force, and what a change of use triggers, are decided locally
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Local business license or business tax registration

    Your city or county almost certainly wants its own registration on top of anything the state issued, and the two are unconnected — a perfectly formed LLC with every state account open can still be trading unlawfully in its own city. Check the city AND the county, because plenty of businesses owe both, and check the zoning at the same time: a license is routinely refused on the ground that the use is not allowed at that address, which is a much cheaper thing to discover before you sign a lease. Record the expiry printed on the license; the renewal interval and the fee are set locally and vary between neighboring towns.

    Comes from
    City or countyMunicipal or county business licence / business tax registration ordinance — imposed by the city or county rather than by the state, and varying between adjacent jurisdictions in scope, fee and renewal interval
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • OSHA 300 log maintained

    Every recordable injury has to be on the log within 7 days; the platforms pull the totals straight from it.

    With 11 or more employees

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1904.29(b)(3); scope: 29 CFR 1904.1(a) (ten or fewer employees) and 1904.2 with subpart B appendix A (partially exempt industries)Read the source for OSHA 300 log maintained (opens in a new tab)
    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • OSHA 300A summary posted (Feb 1 – Apr 30)

    The prior year’s summary must be signed and posted where crews can see it from February through April.

    With 11 or more employees

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1904.32(b)(6); scope: 29 CFR 1904.1(a) (ten or fewer employees) and 1904.2 with subpart B appendix A (partially exempt industries)Read the source for OSHA 300A summary posted (Feb 1 – Apr 30) (opens in a new tab)
    Arikano checks
    Each year by February 1
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Form I-9 on file for every employee

    Section 1 within the first day of work, section 2 within three business days, and the file kept for three years after hire or one year after they leave — whichever is later. An audit counts forms, not intentions.

    Once you have employees

    Comes from
    U.S. Department of Homeland Security8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1) — Form I-9, administered by USCIS and enforced by ICERead the source for Form I-9 on file for every employee (opens in a new tab)
    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • PPE assessment and program

    Before you hand out gloves and glasses the rule wants you to have walked the work, written down what can hurt someone, and signed and dated the assessment. The certificate is the part that gets cited, not the gear — and it is the proof an inspector or a client asks for.

    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Sales and use tax permit, or a note that you owe none

    If you sell anything your state taxes you register for a permit before the first sale, not before the first return — collecting tax without one is its own offense in several states, and so is failing to collect. What counts as taxable is set state by state and is not obvious: almost every state with a sales tax taxes goods, a good many tax some services, and a few tax neither because they have no sales tax at all. This is a question a founder cannot answer from first principles, so look it up once with your state’s revenue department and record either the permit or the answer that you owe none.

    Comes from
    State lawState sales and use tax statute — a seller registers for a permit or licence before making taxable sales in the state. What is taxable, whether services are taxable, and the registration threshold are set state by state; five states impose no general sales tax
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Annual safety refresher

    Everyone should be retrained at least once a year; the training records prove it.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • New-hire safety orientation

    Everyone new should learn the hazards, the exits and who to tell before their first day of work, and anyone who checks your program asks whether they did.

    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Employer Identification Number on file

    Your business tax ID. You cannot run payroll, open a business account or file a return without it, and it is free from the IRS.

    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • General liability policy in force

    No statute makes you carry this — your landlord, your hiring clients and most contracts do. One trip-and-fall claim against an uninsured business is the whole business.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Fire safety / emergency action plan

    Where the exits are, who counts heads, who calls it in. Extinguishers on the wall are enough to trigger it. At ten employees or fewer OSHA lets you brief everyone out loud instead of writing it down — keep it on paper anyway, because the written version is the one an inspector, an insurer or a client asks to see.

    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Job hazard analyses kept current

    Platforms and hiring clients ask to see job safety analyses for the work you do. Approving at least one a year keeps the set from going stale; this is our recommendation, not a federal rule, and every approved one counts.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • OSHA "It’s the Law" poster displayed

    Federal law says the poster has to hang where your crew actually sees it — a break room wall, not a binder. It is free from OSHA and it is the cheapest citation you will ever avoid.

    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Weekly toolbox talks held

    Platforms and hiring clients ask for records of regular safety meetings, and a short talk at the start of the week is how crews keep a hazard in front of them. Weekly is our recommendation, not a federal rule; every talk you log counts.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Arikano checks
    Every week
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • OSHA ITA electronic submission

    At twenty to 249 employees in an industry OSHA designates — or 250 and up in any industry that keeps the log — you likely have to submit the 300A through OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application by March 2. At 100 or more in the industries listed for it, the case data from the 300 and 301 go in as well.

    With 20 to 249 employees

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1904.41(a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(2), with subpart E appendices A and BRead the source for OSHA ITA electronic submission (opens in a new tab)
    Arikano checks
    Each year by March 2
    Review
    Not yet reviewed

Depending on how you work

Arikano asks before it adds these.

Each question is asked the way Arikano asks it when you start. A yes adds the rules under it; a no keeps them off your list. It also asks one less common question that rarely applies to construction contractors.

Does anyone work six feet or more off the ground — roofs, scaffolds, ladders, lifts?If yes: 2 rules
  • Fall protection program

    Falls are the single largest killer on a job site and the most-cited standard OSHA has. Six feet in construction, four in general industry — above that line you need a plan, the right gear and people trained to use it.

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1) (construction); 29 CFR 1910.28(b) (general industry)Read the source for Fall protection program (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Ladder and scaffold training current

    Everyone who uses a ladder is trained by a competent person to recognize its hazards, and everyone who works on a scaffold by a person qualified in it; the people who put scaffolds up and take them down need a competent person’s training on top. Retrain when someone shows they have not kept it.

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1926.1060(a) (ladders); 29 CFR 1926.454(a)-(b) (scaffolds)Read the source for Ladder and scaffold training current (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Do you use anything that arrives with a safety data sheet — solvents, fuels, adhesives, strong cleaners?If yes: 2 rules
  • Hazard Communication program

    If anything you use arrives with a safety data sheet, you owe a written program: the chemical list, the sheets on hand, the labels and who was trained. It is OSHA’s most-cited standard almost every year, and the first written program an inspector, an insurer or a client asks to see.

    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Hazard Communication training current

    The program is half of it. Everyone working around those chemicals has to be trained before they start and again whenever a new hazard walks in the door.

    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Do you bring in subs or 1099 crews to do any part of the work?If yes: 1 practice
  • Subcontractor management program

    Clients hold you responsible for the subs you bring; they want to see how you qualify and oversee them.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Does anyone drive for work — a company truck, a van, or their own car between job sites?If yes: 1 practice
  • Commercial auto cover for business driving

    A personal policy excludes business use, so the claim from a crash between job sites can be denied outright. This is a contract and prudence question, not a federal one — the DOT minimums are a separate row and only bite on commercial vehicles.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Do you dig, trench, grade or otherwise break ground on a site?If yes: 1 rule
  • Stormwater permit and SWPPP

    Break ground on an acre or more and the runoff becomes a permitted discharge: you file for coverage under the construction general permit and keep a stormwater pollution prevention plan on the site. Smaller sites get pulled in when they are part of a larger common plan of development.

    Comes from
    EPA40 CFR 122.26(b)(14)(x) and (b)(15); EPA Construction General Permit (or the delegated state equivalent)Read the source for Stormwater permit and SWPPP (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Do you take work for a city, county, school district, transit authority or state agency?If yes: 1 rule
  • Certified payroll filed weekly on public work

    Public work means prevailing wage, and prevailing wage means a signed payroll statement every week for every week you were on site. Late filings hold your payment, not just your paperwork.

    Comes from
    U.S. Department of Labor29 CFR 5.5(a)(3)(ii) (Davis-Bacon weekly certified payroll); state prevailing wage acts impose the same on state and local workRead the source for Certified payroll filed weekly on public work (opens in a new tab)
    Arikano checks
    Every week
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Does anyone climb into tanks, vaults, manholes, pits or crawl spaces?If yes: 1 rule
  • Permit-required confined space program

    Tanks, vaults, manholes, pits. More than half the people who die in them are the ones who went in after someone else. The program is the permit, the attendant and the rescue plan — all three before anybody climbs in.

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1910.146(c)(4) (general industry); 29 CFR 1926.1204 (construction)Read the source for Permit-required confined space program (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Does anyone cut, grind, drill or chip concrete, brick, block, stone or tile?If yes: 2 rules
  • Silica exposure control plan

    Cutting, grinding or drilling concrete, brick, block or stone throws up crystalline silica, which scars lungs for good. OSHA requires a written plan naming each dusty task and the controls used for it, a competent person who enforces it on site, and a review every year.

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1926.1153(g)(1) (construction); 29 CFR 1910.1053(f)(2)(i) (general industry)Read the source for Silica exposure control plan (opens in a new tab)
    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Silica training current

    Everyone doing the dusty work has to know the health hazard, which of their tasks throw up silica, the controls you use, who the competent person is, and what the medical surveillance program is for.

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1926.1153(i)(2)(i) (construction); 29 CFR 1910.1053(j)(3)(i) (general industry)Read the source for Silica training current (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Does anyone work on or near live electrical parts — panels, circuits, or equipment that is still powered?If yes: 2 rules
  • Electrical safety program

    Live parts are de-energized before anyone works on them unless that is infeasible or adds hazards, only qualified people work on anything still live, and the lockout and tagging procedures for circuits are kept in writing. Many hiring clients also require NFPA 70E arc flash rules on top of OSHA.

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1910.333(a)(1) and (b)(2)(i) (general industry); 29 CFR 1926.416(a)(1) (construction)Read the source for Electrical safety program (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Electrical safe work practices training current

    Anyone facing a shock risk is trained in the safe work practices for their job, and qualified people also in telling live parts apart, finding their voltage and keeping the right clearance.

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1910.332(b) (general industry); 29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2) (construction)Read the source for Electrical safe work practices training current (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Do you hold a federal contract, sub on one, or bid for federal work?If yes: 3 rules
  • SAM.gov registration active

    This is the one to never let lapse. An expired registration does not just stop you bidding — the government cannot pay you on the contracts you already have, and contractors normally find out when an invoice bounces. It renews every year and the renewal is easy to miss, so put the expiry on the calendar and give it an owner by name.

    Comes from
    Federal contracting rulesFAR 4.1102 and FAR 52.204-7 (registered when you offer, and through final payment); FAR 52.204-13 (keeping the registration current); FAR 52.232-33 (payment by electronic funds transfer is conditioned on an active registration) — 48 CFR chapter 1Read the source for SAM.gov registration active (opens in a new tab)
    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) on file

    The twelve-character identifier SAM.gov issues for your business — this is the federal one. It replaced the DUNS Number for federal use in April 2022, so if a form or a prime is still asking you for a DUNS to identify you to the government, the UEI is what they actually need. You get it with your SAM registration; keep it where whoever fills in bid forms can find it.

    Comes from
    Federal contracting rulesFAR 2.101, definition of "unique entity identifier"; FAR 52.204-6 (Unique Entity Identifier), formerly the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number provision. The identifier is assigned by SAM.gov, which took over from D&B for federal use on 4 April 2022Read the source for Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) on file (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • CAGE code on file

    The Commercial and Government Entity code the Defense Logistics Agency assigns to your business — it comes with your SAM registration and goes on contracts, invoices and DoD paperwork. It carries its own expiry date, so record the date printed on yours rather than assuming it runs with the SAM renewal.

    Comes from
    Federal contracting rulesFAR subpart 4.18 (48 CFR 4.1800–4.1804, Commercial and Government Entity Code); FAR 52.204-16 (Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting). Codes are assigned by the Defense Logistics Agency and issued with a SAM.gov registrationRead the source for CAGE code on file (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Does anyone work where hydrogen sulfide (sour gas) can be present — oil and gas sites, sewers, tanks or wastewater?If yes: 2 rules
  • Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) safety program

    H2S knocks people down in seconds, and the rescuer who runs in without air is often the second victim. No single OSHA standard requires a written H2S program, but operators expect one: where the gas can be, how it is monitored, what the crew does when an alarm sounds, and who is trained.

    Comes from
    Your client’s contractANSI/ASSP Z390.1 (industry consensus standard for hydrogen sulfide training programs), required by operator and hiring-client contracts — not a federal OSHA standardRead the source for Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) safety program (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • H2S training cards current

    Operators turn crews away at the gate without current H2S training. The course follows ANSI/ASSP Z390.1; the card’s expiry is set by the provider, so record the date printed on it.

    Comes from
    Your client’s contractANSI/ASSP Z390.1 (industry consensus standard for hydrogen sulfide training programs), required by operator contracts — not a federal OSHA standardRead the source for H2S training cards current (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Does anyone weld, cut with a torch, braze or throw sparks near anything that can burn?If yes: 2 rules
  • Hot work program and permits

    Welding and torch cutting start fires well away from the torch. Before the work starts, the person who authorizes it inspects the area and sets the precautions, preferably on a written permit; a fire watch stays when the area is not clear. Many site owners require the permit either way.

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1910.252(a)(2)(iv) (general industry); 29 CFR 1926.352 (construction)Read the source for Hot work program and permits (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Welding and cutting training current

    Welders, cutters and their supervisors have to be trained in the safe use of their equipment and the process, and fire watchers in the extinguishers they carry.

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1910.252(a)(2)(xiii)(C) (general industry); 29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2) (construction)Read the source for Welding and cutting training current (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Does anyone work around noise so loud they have to shout to be heard by someone an arm’s length away?If yes: 1 rule
  • Hearing conservation program

    Noise loud enough that you shout at arm’s length takes hearing slowly and permanently. Above the action level you owe a continuing hearing conservation program: measuring the noise, hearing protection, and in general industry a yearly hearing test and training for everyone exposed.

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1910.95(c)(1) (general industry); 29 CFR 1926.52(d)(1) (construction)Read the source for Hearing conservation program (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Do your crews drive anything over 10,000 lbs, or anything that requires a CDL?If yes: 6 rules
  • USDOT number registered and MCS-150 current

    The number goes on the door, and the registration behind it has to be updated at least every two years even if nothing changed. Letting it go stale deactivates the number, and a deactivated number is an out-of-service order at the scale.

    Comes from
    U.S. Department of Transportation49 CFR 390.19 (USDOT number registration; MCS-150 update at least every 24 months)Read the source for USDOT number registered and MCS-150 current (opens in a new tab)
    Arikano checks
    Every 2 years
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • DOT drug and alcohol testing program

    Pre-employment, random, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, return-to-duty and follow-up, run through a consortium or third-party administrator, with Clearinghouse queries on top. FMCSA sets the random rate by notice each year — read the current one rather than assuming last year’s percentage. If all of this lives inside your general drug and alcohol policy instead of its own document, say so and this row folds into that one.

    Comes from
    U.S. Department of Transportation49 CFR 382.301, 382.305 and 382.701 (Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse); testing procedures at 49 CFR part 40Read the source for DOT drug and alcohol testing program (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Driver qualification file for every driver

    Application, MVR from every state they were licensed in, the road test or equivalent, the medical certificate, and an annual review of their driving record. It is the first thing a compliance review pulls and the most common thing it finds missing.

    Comes from
    U.S. Department of Transportation49 CFR 391.51 (contents of the driver qualification file); annual MVR review under 49 CFR 391.25Read the source for Driver qualification file for every driver (opens in a new tab)
    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Motor carrier minimum liability cover

    The federal minimum is $750,000 for general freight and climbs to $5,000,000 for some hazardous cargo. Your authority is suspended the day the filing lapses, whatever the policy says.

    Comes from
    U.S. Department of Transportation49 CFR 387.9 (minimum levels of financial responsibility for motor carriers)Read the source for Motor carrier minimum liability cover (opens in a new tab)
    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Registered ELD in every commercial vehicle

    Hours of service have to be recorded on a device from FMCSA’s registered list, with the supporting documents kept for six months. A driver running without one goes out of service on the spot.

    Comes from
    U.S. Department of Transportation49 CFR 395.8(a)(1); registered devices under 49 CFR part 395 subpart B appendix ARead the source for Registered ELD in every commercial vehicle (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Annual inspection on every commercial vehicle

    Every CMV needs a periodic inspection at least once every twelve months, with the report kept for fourteen months and the sticker on the vehicle. Roadside finds it in seconds.

    Comes from
    U.S. Department of Transportation49 CFR 396.17(a) and 396.21(b)Read the source for Annual inspection on every commercial vehicle (opens in a new tab)
    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Do you run a crane or boom truck, or rig loads that travel over people?If yes: 1 rule
  • Crane operator certification current

    Operators have to be certified by an accredited body for the type and capacity they run, and you separately have to evaluate them on your own equipment. Certifications run five years.

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1926.1427(a); operator evaluation under 29 CFR 1926.1427(f)Read the source for Crane operator certification current (opens in a new tab)
    Arikano checks
    Every 5 years
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Do you run forklifts, telehandlers or powered pallet jacks?If yes: 1 rule
Do any of your clients check you through ISNetworld, Avetta or Veriforce, or review your safety paperwork before you can start work for them?If yes: 8 practices
  • Written safety program (what clients call an HSE policy)

    Every hiring client and every platform questionnaire starts by asking for your written safety program.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Drug and alcohol policy

    Most owner-clients will not badge a crew without a written testing policy on file.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • EMR letter on file for this year

    Platforms and clients ask for the current experience modification rate; a stale letter reads as a gap.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Incident investigation procedure

    Questionnaires ask how you investigate incidents and track corrective actions; a written procedure answers it.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Disciplinary program

    Platforms ask how safety violations are handled; a written progressive-discipline program answers it.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • D-U-N-S Number on file (commercial credit)

    Dun & Bradstreet’s number for your business credit file — not a government identifier and not required by any law. Suppliers running a credit check, trade-credit and net-terms applications, and some private vendor-onboarding portals still ask for it, and the file exists whether or not you have ever looked at it. Worth claiming so you can see what it says about you. For federal work the identifier is the UEI, not this.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Cybersecurity / information security

    Some larger clients now ask for it on the questionnaire; low priority for most crews.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Infectious disease plan

    A leftover questionnaire item; keep a short plan on file so the question never blocks a submission.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Did you set up an LLC, corporation or partnership with your state, rather than working under your own name?If yes: 3 rules
  • Formation document filed with the state

    The filing that brings the company into existence — articles of organization for an LLC, articles or a certificate of incorporation for a corporation, a certificate of limited partnership for an LP. Until it is accepted there is no company: no liability shield, no business bank account, and nothing for the IRS to issue an EIN to. Keep the stamped copy the state sends back, because your bank, your insurer and every state tax account will ask for it. The fee and the processing time are set by your state and change, so take both from your own Secretary of State rather than from anybody’s summary.

    Comes from
    State lawState business entity statute — the formation document filed with the Secretary of State or equivalent office (e.g. Model Business Corporation Act §§2.01–2.03; Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act §201, both adopted in substance by many states). The filing office, the document’s name, the fee and the processing time are set state by state
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • State entity registration current (periodic report filed)

    The filing that keeps your LLC or corporation alive with the state. Miss it long enough and the state administratively dissolves the entity: the company stops existing, your liability shield goes with it, and reinstatement costs more than the filing ever did. How often it is due varies by state — annual in most, biennial in several, and some states key it to your formation anniversary rather than a common date — so look up your own state’s interval and put the date it gives you on the record.

    Comes from
    State lawState business entity statute — the periodic report a registered entity files with its Secretary of State or equivalent (varies by state in both interval and due date; e.g. Model Business Corporation Act §16.21, adopted in substance by many states)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Registered agent on file with the state

    The person or company at a real street address in your state who is legally allowed to accept a lawsuit on your behalf. If the address on file is a former accountant or an office you moved out of, you can be sued and lose by default without ever hearing about it — and a state that cannot reach your agent can dissolve the entity on that ground alone. Check it every time you move, and whenever the agent changes.

    Comes from
    State lawState business entity statute — a registered entity must maintain a registered agent and registered office in the state (e.g. Model Business Corporation Act §5.01, adopted in substance by most states; Delaware General Corporation Law §132). A foreign entity qualified to do business in another state owes the same there
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Is any place you work far from a clinic or hospital, so an injured worker could not be treated there quickly?If yes: 1 rule
  • A first-aid-trained person on site

    Unless a clinic or hospital is close enough to treat an injured worker, someone at the site must be trained in first aid — and in construction must hold a valid first-aid certificate. CPR is not in these two rules, but many hiring clients expect it on the same card. Record who holds a current card and when it expires.

    Once you have employees

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1910.151(b) (general industry); 29 CFR 1926.50(c) (construction)Read the source for A first-aid-trained person on site (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Does anyone repair, service or unjam machinery — not just plug-in tools — that could start up or release stored energy while their hands are in it?If yes: 1 practice
  • Lockout / tagout program

    Hiring clients and platform reviews ask for a written lockout/tagout program before your crew works on equipment that can start up or release stored energy. On a construction job the general lockout/tagout rule does not apply, but you must still tag every switched-off circuit wherever it could be turned back on, and repair or servicing work on a client’s machinery can fall under the general rule. If nobody here ever works on equipment like that, waive it and say so.

    Comes from
    Arikano guidance, not a law
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Do you keep fuel or oil on site or on a truck — more than about 55 gallons in one container?If yes: 1 rule
  • SPCC plan for oil storage

    More than 1,320 gallons of oil above ground in containers of 55 gallons or larger, and you owe a spill prevention, control and countermeasure plan with secondary containment — written before the spill, not after it.

    Arikano checks
    Every 5 years
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Does anyone climb down into a trench or excavation you dug — for pipe, conduit, footings or repairs?If yes: 2 rules
  • Excavation and trenching safety program

    A trench wall can bury a worker before anyone can react. OSHA requires a competent person to inspect every excavation daily and a protective system — sloping, shoring or a trench box — for anyone in one five feet deep or more. The written program is how you show a client both happen on every job.

    Comes from
    OSHA29 CFR 1926.651(k)(1) (daily inspections by a competent person); 29 CFR 1926.652(a)(1) (protective systems)Read the source for Excavation and trenching safety program (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Excavation and trench safety training current

    Everyone who works in or around your trenches needs to recognize a cave-in hazard and know the rules for that work. OSHA puts that duty on you for every hazard a construction worker faces.

    Review
    Not yet reviewed
Does anyone wear a respirator — including a disposable N95 you tell them to wear?If yes: 2 rules
  • Respiratory protection program

    The moment you require a respirator — including a disposable N95 you tell someone to wear — you owe a written program, a medical evaluation for each wearer and a fit test. Voluntary N95 use is lighter, but it still owes them Appendix D.

    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Respirator fit tests current

    A respirator that does not seal to that particular face does nothing. The fit test is per person, per make and model, and it is due again every twelve months.

    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed

By state

What changes in Texas, Florida, California, New York and Georgia.

Rules a state adds on top of the list above, for construction contractors. Arikano adds the ones for your state once you tell it where you work.

Texas

Arikano has no rules written only for construction contractors in Texas yet. Everything listed above still applies there.

Florida

Arikano has no rules written only for construction contractors in Florida yet. Everything listed above still applies there.

California

  • Injury and illness prevention program (California)

    California requires every employer to keep a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program: who is responsible for safety, how hazards are found and fixed, how injuries are looked into and how people are trained. With fewer than 10 employees you may give the general safe-work instructions out loud, but the program itself is written — and it is the first thing a Cal/OSHA inspector, a hiring client or a platform review asks to see.

    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Heat illness prevention plan (California)

    California wants this one in writing, in English and in the language most of your crew speaks, kept at the worksite where an inspector can ask for it: water, shade, what happens when it gets hot, what you do when somebody goes down, and how new people are brought up to the heat. It can live inside your injury and illness prevention program or stand alone. It reaches every outdoor place of employment in the state, so if nobody on your payroll ever works outdoors, waive it — but waive it deliberately.

    Comes from
    State law8 CCR §3395(i) (Cal/OSHA, Heat Illness Prevention in Outdoor Places of Employment)Read the source for Heat illness prevention plan (California) (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Cal/OSHA serious injury reporting procedure (California)

    California is tighter than the federal clock and this is where people get caught. Any serious injury or illness, or a death, is reported to Cal/OSHA immediately — meaning as soon as practically possible and in no event more than eight hours after you knew or would have known. Federal OSHA allows twenty-four hours for a hospitalization; California does not. Exigent circumstances you can demonstrate stretch it, and no further than twenty-four hours. Whoever answers the phone at 6am needs to know the number and the deadline.

    Comes from
    State law8 CCR §342(a) (Cal/OSHA; "serious injury or illness" is defined at 8 CCR §330(h))Read the source for Cal/OSHA serious injury reporting procedure (California) (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Workplace violence prevention plan (California)

    Since July 2024 almost every California employer owes a written workplace violence prevention plan and a violent incident log alongside it. The plan names who runs it, how employees help build it, how incidents get reported and investigated, and what you did about the hazards you found. Healthcare covered by the Cal/OSHA healthcare violence standard is out, and so is a site with fewer than ten people at any one time that the public cannot walk into — but only if that site is already compliant with its injury and illness prevention program.

    Comes from
    State lawCalifornia Labor Code §6401.9(c) and (d) (workplace violence prevention plan and violent incident log)Read the source for Workplace violence prevention plan (California) (opens in a new tab)
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Toolbox talks every 10 working days (California construction)

    California requires supervisors on construction work to hold "toolbox" or "tailgate" safety meetings with their crews at least every 10 working days. Every talk you log here counts toward it.

    Comes from
    State law8 CCR §1509(e) (Cal/OSHA Construction Safety Orders)Read the source for Toolbox talks every 10 working days (California construction) (opens in a new tab)
    Arikano checks
    Every 14 days
    Review
    Not yet reviewed
  • Workplace violence prevention training current (California)

    The plan is half of it. Everyone gets trained when the plan is first written and again every year after: what the plan says, how to report an incident without it coming back on them, the hazards specific to their own job, and a live chance to ask questions of somebody who actually knows the plan. New hazards or a changed plan trigger training again.

    Comes from
    State lawCalifornia Labor Code §6401.9(e)(2) (initial training, and annually thereafter)Read the source for Workplace violence prevention training current (California) (opens in a new tab)
    Arikano checks
    Every year
    Review
    Not yet reviewed

New York

  • OSHA 10-hour cards on public work (New York)

    A New York public works contract of $250,000 or more must require that every laborer, worker and mechanic on the site is certified as having completed an OSHA-approved construction safety and health course of at least ten hours before doing any work on the project.

    Review
    Not yet reviewed

Georgia

Arikano has no rules written only for construction contractors in Georgia yet. Everything listed above still applies there.

What Arikano drafts

The documents, drafted for your construction contractor.

Each is drafted with your company’s name and details and waits for your approval. Nothing counts as done until you approve it.

  • Fall Protection Program

    If the answer is yes to: Does anyone work six feet or more off the ground — roofs, scaffolds, ladders, lifts?

  • Hazard Communication (HazCom)

    If the answer is yes to: Do you use anything that arrives with a safety data sheet — solvents, fuels, adhesives, strong cleaners?

  • Injury & Illness Prevention Program (IIPP)

    Covers: Written safety program (what clients call an HSE policy)

    Required in California. Elsewhere, if the answer is yes to: Do any of your clients check you through ISNetworld, Avetta or Veriforce, or review your safety paperwork before you can start work for them?

  • Lockout / Tagout Program

    If the answer is yes to: Does anyone repair, service or unjam machinery — not just plug-in tools — that could start up or release stored energy while their hands are in it?

  • Excavation & Trenching Safety Program

    If the answer is yes to: Does anyone climb down into a trench or excavation you dug — for pipe, conduit, footings or repairs?

  • Silica Exposure Control Plan

    If the answer is yes to: Does anyone cut, grind, drill or chip concrete, brick, block, stone or tile?

  • DOT Drug & Alcohol Testing Program

    If the answer is yes to: Do your crews drive anything over 10,000 lbs, or anything that requires a CDL?

  • Permit-Required Confined Space Program

    If the answer is yes to: Does anyone climb into tanks, vaults, manholes, pits or crawl spaces?

  • Electrical Safety Program

    If the answer is yes to: Does anyone work on or near live electrical parts — panels, circuits, or equipment that is still powered?

  • Respiratory Protection Program

    If the answer is yes to: Does anyone wear a respirator — including a disposable N95 you tell them to wear?

  • Drug & Alcohol Policy

    If the answer is yes to: Do any of your clients check you through ISNetworld, Avetta or Veriforce, or review your safety paperwork before you can start work for them?

  • PPE Assessment & Program

    For every construction contractor

  • Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Safety Program

    If the answer is yes to: Does anyone work where hydrogen sulfide (sour gas) can be present — oil and gas sites, sewers, tanks or wastewater?

  • Hearing Conservation Program

    If the answer is yes to: Does anyone work around noise so loud they have to shout to be heard by someone an arm’s length away?

  • Hot Work Program

    If the answer is yes to: Does anyone weld, cut with a torch, braze or throw sparks near anything that can burn?

  • Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan

    Covers: Stormwater permit and SWPPP

    If the answer is yes to: Do you dig, trench, grade or otherwise break ground on a site?

  • SPCC Plan (oil storage)

    If the answer is yes to: Do you keep fuel or oil on site or on a truck — more than about 55 gallons in one container?

  • Fire Safety / Extinguisher Program

    Covers: Fire safety / emergency action plan

    For every construction contractor

  • Disciplinary Program

    If the answer is yes to: Do any of your clients check you through ISNetworld, Avetta or Veriforce, or review your safety paperwork before you can start work for them?

  • Subcontractor Management

    If the answer is yes to: Do you bring in subs or 1099 crews to do any part of the work?

  • Cybersecurity & Info Security

    Covers: Cybersecurity / information security

    If the answer is yes to: Do any of your clients check you through ISNetworld, Avetta or Veriforce, or review your safety paperwork before you can start work for them?

  • COVID-19 / Infectious Disease

    If the answer is yes to: Do any of your clients check you through ISNetworld, Avetta or Veriforce, or review your safety paperwork before you can start work for them?

Questions

Asked about construction contractors.

What does a construction contractor have to keep up with?

17 rules apply to every construction contractor, starting with these: State contractor license current; Workers’ compensation coverage in force; State unemployment insurance account registered. Arikano also recommends 4 practices for every construction contractor; those are its own guidance, not a law, and the page marks them that way. Another 36 rules and 11 practices Arikano recommends depend on how you work. Arikano asks first, with questions like “Does anyone work six feet or more off the ground — roofs, scaffolds, ladders, lifts?”, and adds them only when the answer is yes.

Which documents does Arikano draft for a construction contractor?

For every construction contractor: PPE Assessment & Program and Fire Safety / Extinguisher Program. 20 more depend on your state or on how you answer Arikano’s questions: Fall Protection Program, Hazard Communication (HazCom), Injury & Illness Prevention Program (IIPP), and 17 more. Each one is drafted with your company’s details and waits for your approval before it counts.

Has a professional reviewed these rules?

Not yet. None of the rules on this page has been reviewed by a credentialed professional so far. Each rule is listed with the regulation or standard it comes from, so you can check it yourself. The practices Arikano recommends are marked as its own guidance, not a law.

Arikano does your compliance work. You approve it.

Start with your own construction contractor: what applies to you, what is missing, and the first drafts.