5 Questions to Ask Your Contractor About Workplace Safety

After the OSHA violation lookup, ask these questions

You ran a contractor safety check. You know the OSHA inspection history. Now you have to actually talk to the contractor. The point of these five questions is not to interrogate — it's to listen for whether the contractor talks about safety like a professional or like an inconvenience.

1. "Have you ever been cited by OSHA? What happened?"

You already know the answer from the contractor OSHA record. The question is whether they know, and whether they'll tell you the truth.

Good answer: "Yes, in 2021 we had a fall protection citation on a steep-pitch job. We changed our anchor protocol, retrained the crew, and haven't had a Repeat since." Specific. Owns it. Tells you what changed.

Bad answer: "OSHA only goes after the big guys." Or flat denial when their record clearly shows otherwise. Walk away from contractors who lie about public records.

2. "Who's on site each day, and what safety training do they have?"

You want to know if the people on your roof are W-2 employees with documented training, or day laborers picked up that morning. The OSHA record belongs to the company — but the people on your house may or may not be tied to that record.

Good answer: OSHA 10-hour or 30-hour cards for crew, OSHA 30 for the foreman, regular toolbox talks.

Bad answer: Vague references to "experienced guys." No documentation.

3. "Do you subcontract any of this work? Who?"

This is the question most homeowners skip and most contractors don't volunteer. A clean general contractor can put an F-graded subcontractor on your job and the OSHA record of the GC never reflects it.

Good answer: Names. You can run a separate contractor safety check on each named sub.

Bad answer: "We'll figure that out later." Or refusal to name them.

4. "What's your insurance coverage, and can I see a certificate?"

Workers' comp and general liability certificates are standard. If a worker is injured on your property and the contractor lacks workers' comp, you may be liable. Demand a current Certificate of Insurance naming you as an additional insured for the duration of the project.

Good answer: They send a COI within 24 hours. Limits look normal for residential work ($1M GL is typical).

Bad answer: "We're insured, you don't need the paperwork." End the conversation.

5. "What happens if there's an injury on my property?"

Their answer tells you everything about how seriously they take safety planning.

Good answer: A clear escalation procedure — first aid kit, nearest urgent care, who notifies OSHA, who notifies the homeowner. Not improvised.

Bad answer: "That doesn't happen to us." It happens to everyone eventually. The contractors who plan for it are the contractors you want.

Use these together

These five questions, plus an OSHA violation lookup on the contractor and any named subs, is the entire homeowner-side safety due diligence process. Twenty minutes total. Don't skip it on the bid you're about to sign.