# What being prime contractor means on a BC public job

> Under BC's Workers Compensation Act, the prime contractor at a multiple-employer workplace must coordinate everyone's health and safety activities and keep a system that makes sure the safety rules are followed. If no one is named in writing, the owner is prime contractor. Many BC tenders name the successful contractor, so read that clause before you bid.

By James DeGreef. Updated 2026-10-24. Facts checked 2026-10-24. Source page: https://crewbid.tech/guides/prime-contractor-bc

Read enough BC tenders and you'll find a line like this: "The Contractor shall be the Prime Contractor for the purposes of the Workers Compensation Act." It sounds like boilerplate. It isn't. It moves legal responsibility for safety coordination at the site onto you.

## What is a prime contractor?

The Workers Compensation Act defines the prime contractor at a **multiple-employer workplace** (a site where workers of two or more employers work at the same time) as the directing contractor, employer or other person who agrees in writing with the owner to be prime contractor. If there's no written agreement, the **owner** of the workplace is the prime contractor.

A tender clause naming you prime contractor, once the contract is signed, is that written agreement.

## What does the prime contractor have to do?

Section 24 of the Act says the prime contractor must:

1. **Coordinate** the health and safety activities of the employers, workers and others at the workplace.
2. **Do everything reasonably practicable to set up and keep a system or process** that makes sure the health and safety rules are followed at that workplace.

Each employer with workers there has to tell the prime contractor who is supervising its workers.

In practice, for a small service contractor, that usually means:

- Knowing who else is working on the site and when (the buyer's own staff, other contractors, your subcontractors).
- Holding a safety orientation for everyone who works under you.
- Sharing hazard information and making sure work that could affect others (traffic, lifts, chemicals, lockout) is planned together.
- Keeping records: orientations, inspections, meetings, incidents.
- Making sure your subcontractors have their own WorkSafeBC coverage and know your site rules.

## Does it apply to service contracts, not just construction?

It applies wherever workers of more than one employer are at the same workplace. A grounds crew in a park where city staff also work, a janitorial crew in a building with other contractors, or a snow contractor with subcontracted trucks can all be multiple-employer workplaces. Whether you're prime contractor depends on the contract and on who controls the site.

That's why some buyers name the contractor prime contractor only for a defined area or time, such as "the work area during the hours you're working". Read exactly what the clause covers.

## When should I question the clause?

Ask during the question period if:

- **You don't control the site.** If buyer staff and other contractors work around you all day and you can't direct them, ask how coordination will work, or whether the buyer stays prime contractor.
- **The scope is vague.** "All sites" on a contract covering 40 buildings is a lot of responsibility. Ask whether it means your work areas only.
- **You'd be coordinating trades you've never worked with.** Make sure you can do it, and price the time.

Ask in writing, through the buyer's official question process. See [how to ask questions during a tender](https://crewbid.tech/guides/tender-questions-addenda).

## How do I show a buyer I can do it?

Tenders that make you prime contractor often score or ask about your safety program. Have ready:

- Your written safety program and site orientation checklist.
- How you check subcontractors' WorkSafeBC clearance before they start.
- Who your site supervisor is and their training.
- COR, if you have it. See [how to get COR in BC](https://crewbid.tech/guides/cor-certification-bc).

## Where to go next

[WorkSafeBC coverage for contractors](https://crewbid.tech/guides/worksafebc-coverage-contractors) covers registration and clearance letters, which is a separate obligation from being prime contractor.

## Sources

- [Workers Compensation Act, Part 2: Occupational health and safety (WorkSafeBC)](https://www.worksafebc.com/en/law-policy/occupational-health-safety/searchable-ohs-regulation/workers-compensation-act/part-2-occupational-health-and-safety)
- [City of Coquitlam RFP 25-027 Snow Removal Service (an example of a BC tender naming the contractor prime contractor)](https://www.coquitlam.ca/DocumentCenter/View/15694)