The petrochemical and mining industries often come under fire from environmental activists, and from industry bodies that (sometimes rightly) accuse them of playing fast and loose with health and safety to maximize profits.
It’s more important in this industry than most others to be transparent, to present an above board image, and to prove your commitment to safety. There are several ways that a background screening company can help you to do that.
Employee Screening
When it comes to international employee movement, petrochemicals and mining tend to be relatively high on the scale of hiring foreign talent. While it is true that the Australian immigration authorities will do a lot of screening on your behalf, there is still a good case to be made for additional checks. A background screening company will be able to look into employment history and their safety records.
Credential Verification
Oil and gas and mining work sites tend to be very strict about safety credentials, and employees tend to need a wide variety of credentials, depending on their field of work. In many cases, that training can be carried out as and when needed, but if an employee is already certified for a particular requirement, it is still a good idea to verify that it is valid and applicable.
Criminal History
Many oil and gas and mining work sites have very strict security requirements, and very often, employees will not be allowed to work on a site until they have passed an in depth screening. Employers can cut costs and limit delays by ensuring that the crews or staff they are considering hiring or assigning will pass those tests and inspections.
Drug and Alcohol History
Most petrochemical and mining projects have very strict alcohol and drug policies, simply because any sort of impairment on site could literally be a matter of life and death.
Most sites will have a drug testing policy in place that will require testing before commencing work, but it’s always worth finding out if your prospective employees have a history of problems or abuse of substances. While it might not prevent you from hiring them, it can help to prompt a very necessary discussion about expectations.
Getting Information
Getting information about health and safety, criminal and substance abuse history about candidates or employees can be tricky, simply because there are so many places where this information is stored, and because of its sensitive nature.
It’s nearly always better to trust this sort of background check to a professional company, who will know where to ask, how to get the right information, and which information is relevant to you. By getting only the most important information, there’s no risk of muddying the waters, and running afoul of privacy and discrimination laws.
A background screening company will get you the information you need to see, present it in a manner that is easy to understand, and protect you against issues related to private information. They will also store and dispose of information as legally required, and all of that means less for you to worry about. That can only be a good thing in a fast paced industry like petrochemicals or mining!
