Made in Germany · ISO 27001 · GDPR-compliant
Digital Training for Contractors
Provide external personnel with proper training before they begin work
Maintenance personnel, cleaning services, installation teams, contractors: In many industrial companies, more external personnel work on the premises every day than one might think. The training itself is rarely the problem. The challenge lies in the coordination: Who has been trained, how long is that training valid—and does the person responsible for granting access know this? With SoftDeCC, you can move safety training to before the first day of work: External personnel complete the training online, in their own language, with a comprehension test—and arrive at the factory gate already trained.
Note: This article provides a practical overview and is not a substitute for legal advice.
Skills Development
Assessment
Certification
Responsibility and Liability
Who is responsible for providing instruction?
| Participants | Requirement | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Employer of the outside contractor | Provides training to its own employees regarding their work | § 12 ArbSchG |
| Client (Your Company) | Must provide information about workplace-specific hazards and ensure that external employees have received appropriate instructions | § 8(2) ArbSchG |
| Both parties together | Cooperation in risk assessment; in cases of mutual risk, coordination and, if necessary, appointment of a coordinator | Section 8(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (ArbSchG), DGUV Regulation 1, Section 6 |
In practice, this means: The outside contractor provides the technical expertise, while your company must communicate the site-specific hazards—plant rules, emergency procedures, evacuation routes, areas of special hazard, and permit procedures. These topics are ideally suited for digital pre-training.
Target Audience Definition
Outside Companies, Visitors, Temporary Workers—The Differences
| Outside Company | Visitors | Temporary workers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer | Own Company | – | Staffing Agency |
| Who provides the training? | Contractor + information provided by the client | Host (brief training) | Host company (full training) (Section 12(2) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act) |
| Typical Topics | Site Hazards, Plant Rules, Emergency Procedures, Authorization Cards | Rules of Conduct, Emergency Procedures, Protective Equipment | Just like our own employees |
| Validity | usually limited in time, e.g., 12 months or the duration of the assignment | usually per visit | same as for regular employees |
| Validity | usually limited in time, e.g., 12 months or the duration of the assignment | usually per visit | same as for regular employees |
Proven in practice
Here's How the Digital Training for Contractors Works
Create a Third-Party Company
Your company creates a record for the contracted firm and designates a person in charge at the contractor's end.
Register Employees
The contractor registers its own employees—without your HR department or safety officer having to enter each person individually.
Online Training in Advance
External employees complete the site-specific training before their first day of work—on a computer or smartphone, in their own language.
Comprehension Test
A brief quiz ensures that the material has been understood.
Proof of validity
Completion of the training is documented along with the expiration date.
Check upon entry
Security at the gate or plant security will check whether valid training has been completed.
On-site job-specific orientation:
Specific hazards at the worksite are also communicated on-site and documented in the same system.
Renewal
Before the deadline, the outside contractor and employees are automatically reminded of the follow-up.
Advantage • Benefit
What You Can Win
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No lines at the factory gate: The training takes place before you arrive, not at 7:00 a.m. in the training room.
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Reducing the workload for safety specialists: Standard training content is delivered digitally, allowing on-site time to be focused on workplace-specific hazards.
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Understanding, Not Just a Signature: Multilingual content and a test confirm that the training has been understood.
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Audit-ready documentation: For each external individual, there is documentation of when they received training on which topics and the expiration date of that training.
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Clear Responsibility: The contractor manages its own employees and keeps track of who has not yet received training.
Software Requirements
Requirements for Software Used to Train Contractors
| Requirement | Why It's Important | Offer from SoftDeCC |
|---|---|---|
| External Users Without HR Master Data | External users are not in the HR system and are not supposed to be | Role-based learning portals for external audiences → Learning Portals |
| Self-Service for Third-Party Companies | Company Administrators Manage Their Own Employees | Partner Management from the Extended Enterprise Environment → Extended Enterprise Learning |
| Client Segregation | Third-party companies see only their own employees; corporations segregate locations | Multi-Instance LMS |
| Multilingualism | External teams are often international | → LMS configuration |
| Comprehension Test | Proof that the content was understood | → Test Generator |
| Multilingualism | External teams are often international | → LMS configuration |
| Validity Logic | Expiration Date and Automatic Reminder | → Automated Learning Paths |
| Mobile Use | Training via Smartphone Before Arrival | → Responsive Learning Portals |
| Integration with access control systems | Gate recognizes valid authorization | Via interfaces → SoftDeCC API |
| Privacy Policy | Delete data of external individuals after the end of the contract | Configurable retention periods, hosting of your choice → GDPR-compliant LMS |
Documentation
Visitor Guidelines
Visitors, too, need to know how to conduct themselves on the premises and what to do in an emergency. A brief digital briefing, which visitors receive in advance via a link, ensures that no one enters the production area without basic information—and documents this at the same time.Another option is to provide the briefing directly at the reception desk, for example, using a tablet where visitors can briefly register and confirm the safety instructions. If this type of scenario is important to you, please contact us: Requirements like these can usually be implemented with SoftDeCC with minimal effort.
Checklist
Implementing Digital Management of Third-Party Contractors
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Site-specific hazards and plant rules prepared as training content
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Validity period specified for each type of training
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A designated representative has been named for each contractor
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Languages of the most important external target groups covered
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Issue at the gate or with plant security resolved
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Regulations on Supplemental On-Site Training for Areas with Special Hazards
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Data Retention Periods for External Individuals Have Been Established
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Coordination in cases of mutual risk (DGUV Regulation 1, Section 6) taken into account
Get More Information for Free Now
Arrive at the training site instead of waiting at the factory gate
Talk to us about how your third-party vendor process can be mapped in SoftDeCC—from self-service for third-party vendors to access verification.
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Over 25 Years of Expertise
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Made in Germany
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs: Training for Contractors
Is the client required to train employees of outside companies?
Job-specific training is the responsibility of the contractor. However, the client must inform the contractor of the hazards on its premises and ensure that the contractor’s employees have received appropriate instructions (Section 8(2) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (ArbSchG)). In practice, this is done through a site-specific safety briefing.
How long is a third-party contractor training session valid?
There is no fixed time limit specified by law. The standard period is 12 months or the duration of the assignment. If the risk situation changes, refresher training is required.
Is an online training session sufficient?
For general site information, the answer is generally yes, provided that understanding is verified and questions can be asked. For areas with specific hazards, additional on-site training is advisable and often required.
Do employees of outside companies need a full-fledged user account?
No. External users are granted access through a role-based learning portal without having to be created in the HR system.
What is the difference between this and Extended Enterprise Learning?
Extended Enterprise Learning provides training for partners, resellers, and customers—it’s all about knowledge and business. Third-party contractor training is a safety requirement for access. Both can be managed in parallel within SoftDeCC.
