Ask most site managers whether they have a visitor and contractor induction process, and the answer is usually yes. Ask what it actually covers beyond a signature in a book, and the answer is often much thinner. A proper induction is one of the cheapest, most effective risk controls available — and one of the most commonly done badly.
A signature confirms someone was on site. It doesn't confirm they know where the fire assembly point is, which areas are off-limits, who to report a hazard to, or what to do if there's an incident while they're there. If something goes wrong, "they signed in" is a weak position to be defending.
A delivery driver dropping off a parcel needs the basics. A contractor working unsupervised on site for a week needs considerably more: sight of relevant risk assessments and method statements, confirmation of their own competence and insurance, and briefing on how their work interacts with anything else happening on site that day. Treating every visitor the same, regardless of what they're actually there to do, is where inductions start to lose their value.
An induction that takes twenty minutes and feels like a chore will get skipped the second time. The sites that get this right keep the induction focused and specific — a short briefing plus a simple written record, tailored to whether it's a one-off visitor or a contractor on site for an extended period — rather than a single generic form trying to cover every scenario at once.
If your induction process hasn't been reviewed in a while, or you're not confident it would hold up under scrutiny after an incident, get in touch for a free 30-minute consultation — this is exactly the kind of gap an FM review is built to catch.
This article is general guidance, not legal advice. For a definitive view on your site's requirements, consult the Health and Safety Executive's guidance on managing contractors or a suitably qualified health and safety adviser.