The Blue Star™ Trade rating has been designed specifically for construction micro-businesses employing 30 people or less. It offers these organisations, and the project managers that employ them, a cost-effective way to evaluate their safety track record and their fitness for complex projects, without the hassle of extensive scrutiny of processes or the need for an on-site audit.
How does a Blue Star™ Trade Rating Work?
There are 3 major categories of information that are used to assess an organisation’s Blue Star™ rating. These are:
- organisation
- projects
- injuries
Organisation and projects together evaluate the complexity of projects undertaken by the organisation. Injuries is the total cost of injury as recorded by Workcover. Scores for complexity and injuries are used together to determine a Trade Rating score out of 100, which then translates into a star rating.
For more information on how a Blue Star™ rating is calculated, click here.
What does the ratings process involve?
Attaining a Blue Star™ Trade rating involves a four-step process over a period of typically 2 to 4 weeks. The process is conducted entirely off-site, and has been designed to minimise the disruption to your business.
This process produces a Blue Star™ Trade rating, which is to be renewed annually.
Step 1: Blue Star™ Go Ahead
The first step is to register your company’s interest in a Blue Star™ rating using the Blue Star™ registration form. This form gathers specific details about your organisation, such as a nominated contact person for the rating procedure (your Blue Star™ liaison officer), and your organisation’s annual turnover and number of employees.
Once your completed registration form is submitted and processed, you will receive a letter of confirmation and an invoice for the rating procedure. Full payment of the invoice will be required before proceeding further.
On successful receipt of your completed registration form and fees as indicated in the invoice, the actual ratings process is activated.
Step 2: Preparation
Once the ratings process has been initiated, your nominated Blue Star™ liaison officer will receive a ratings pack, which contains:
- a letter of welcome
- the contact details of the analyst appointed to conduct your Blue Star™ rating
- a data collection authorisation
- a complexity questionnaire
- a communications preferences form
- useful information regarding the ratings process and how to get assistance if necessary
The data collection authorisation empowers your Blue Star™ analyst to collect data necessary for your Blue Star™ Trade rating from government agencies on your behalf. The communications preferences form indicates how you would like your ratings result to be disseminated.
The authorisation and communications preferences are to be signed (if appropriate) and returned to the ratings office before proceeding to the next step.
Step 3: Data collection
Data will be collected from government agencies to furnish the quantitative aspect of your Blue Star™ rating. This process will be conducted by your Blue Star™ analyst and can take up to 30 days from the initiation of the data request.
The complexity questionnaire compiles specific details of the projects undertaken by the organisation, and is to be completed by your Blue Star™ liaison officer. Depending on your organisation’s record-keeping practices, the questionnaire can take as little as 15 minutes to complete. Your Blue Star™ analyst will offer phone-based support in compiling this information.
Stage 4: Rating
Your Blue Star™ analyst will calculate your Blue Star™ rating and notify you and/or your Blue Star™ liaison officer, depending on your nominated communications preferences. The Blue Star™ rating is then finalised and made ready for dissemination as per your communications preferences.
