Downloadable 2010 ECCS Guidelines Document (.pdf Format)

Mission Statement:

"Working together with our contractors we will achieve safety excellence by providing a safe and healthy workplace."

I. Introduction to the Energy Coalition for Contractor Safety (ECCS)

II. Benefits of Contractor Safety Coalition

III Definition of a Contractor A. Each contractor, whether they are considered a prime contractor or a sub-contractor, must adhere to the ECCS guidelines. Every contractor is required to have a 100% approved safety program registered with the North Dakota Safety Council and all contractor employees are to be current on drug testing and safety training requirements. 1/15/2010 Page 3 of 10

1. Working through the Energy Managers Association it was determined that we must improve contractor safety at our facilities. In September of 1996, the Energy Managers Association formed a task force comprised of safety professionals from each of the following facilities:

Tesoro Petroleum Mandan Refinery Montana Dakota Utilities Basin Electric Power Cooperative Minnkota Power Cooperative Great River Energy Otter Tail Power Dakota Gasification Company

2. The Task Force was challenged to improve contractor safety at facilities through the concept of forming a Contractor Safety Coalition. The Contractor Safety Coalition was formed in January of 1997. The Coalition’s main goal was to help direct the company’s contractors in a way to form some consistency among all the Coalition members. The Coalition can only see this concept growing with other facilities joining in. SAFETY IS A MORAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUE. Any improvement we can make to ensure the safety of our contractors and their hourly employees, while on our facilities, can only be recognized as a step in the right direction.

3. In our task force, we found that each company was at a different level of working with contractors and their safety programs. Contractors have been asking for some consistency among area companies for contractor policies and procedures.

4. It is the Coalition’s intent to work with all our contractors to help them improve the safety culture at our facilities. Using new safety concepts will help ensure contractor safety at our facilities. The success of the Coalition will be monitored by the Energy Managers Association. The Energy Coalition may grow, depending on the success of its program within our facilities.

Proprietorships, partnerships or corporations within the state, who are involved in the maintenance, construction, or construction related purchases from contractors, shall be eligible for membership in the ECCS. Each membership entitles a vote in electing officers, adding new members and transacting other business. Tesoro Petroleum Mandan Refinery Montana Dakota Utilities Basin Electric Power Cooperative Minnkota Power Cooperative Great River Energy Otter Tail Power Dakota Gasification Company Bobcat Company ND Safety Council, administrative support

2. COMMON TRAINING PROCESS

DOCUMENTATION OF TRAINING

The following information submitted on official company letterhead, and signed by company official/owner must be included in all training documentation sent to the North Dakota Safety Council.

Excluding the OSHA 10 hour Construction Safety and Health or 10 hour General Industry Safety and Health training courses, the North Dakota Safety Council will request a class outline to determine if the training meets ECCS requirements.

ON-LINE TRAINING

The ECCS will now accept the on-line OSHA 10 hour Construction and General Industry safety training. There will be only one OSHA approved course and it will be administered through the NDSC. Their web site address is www.ndsc.org. Click on the icon for OSHA on-line training. OTHER SAFETY TRAINING ECCS participants have some site-specific rules and regulations for contract employees, i.e. emergency response sirens, chemicals in the work areas, plant specific policies, no smoking, "competent" person training etc. Some of the Coalition participants fall under the (1910.119) Process Safety Management Site regulation. These participants will have more site-specific process training than others.

3. SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROCESS

SUBSTANCE ABUSE POLICY

ECCS requires all contractor employees to successfully pass an annual drug screening. This requirement must be met before contractors will be allowed to perform work at any Coalition participant site. The intent of the policy is to assist in the continuance of a safe and productive workplace. 

• All drug screen results that are submitted to the North Dakota Safety Council must meet the criteria listed below.
• All specimens must be sent to a certified lab and have at least a 5 panel drug screen performed.
• Proof of testing from a certified lab must be available upon request.
• Copies of results may be required before individual is entered into the North Dakota Safety Council database.

RAPID/QUICK TESTS

Random, for cause and initial drug testing will be accomplished with a 5-panel test, as a minimum. The contractor may use a "quickie" test that is rated at 99% or better accuracy and administered by a qualified person to initially get workers on site or for random sampling, but the sample must also be sent to a certified laboratory for analysis. Only then can the employee be registered with the NDSC. The results must be entered into the NDSC system within 3 days of the sample date.

The NDSC maintains the documentation database for the ECCS committee. Documentation sent to them should include the employee’s ID number (first name, initial of middle name, last name), and the date that they successfully completed the drug screening. Do not send positive test results because these do not meet the criteria for an approved worker in the ECCS.

4. HIRING CRITERIA REQUIREMENTS

To improve contractor safety performance at all the participating North Dakota Energy Coalition locations, the Energy Managers Association commissioned a review to identify opportunities and develop guidelines for all Energy Coalition members to help meet the objective of hiring safe and reliable contractors. One of the recommendations was to establish consistent selection and evaluation criteria for hiring and maintaining contractors with excellent safety performances.

The Energy Coalition members use hiring and selection criteria to select contractors for work in their facilities. At a minimum, the contractor’s OSHA Incident Rates and Experience Modification Rates are reviewed in the hiring process.

ANY DEVIATION FROM THESE GUIDELINES REQUIRES THE INDIVIDUAL SITE’S COALITION PLANT MANAGER’S OR PLANT MANAGEMENT APPROVAL FOR HIRING. TYPICALLY ONLY GRANTED IF THE CONTRACTOR IS THE ONLY COMPANY SPECIALIZED THAT CAN DO THE WORK OR IN EXTREME EMERGENCY CONDITIONS.

IF A PLANT MANAGER’S APPROVAL IS GRANTED, THERE MAY BE SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS THAT MUST BE MET BY THE CONTRACTOR BEFORE WORKING ON THE COALITION WORK SITE.

5. THIRD PARTY AUDITS OF SAFETY MANUALS/POLICIES

The ECCS requires that all contractors have a complete and workable safety manual in effect prior to commencing work on an ECCS property. The safety manual should be in compliance with Federal, State and/or local safety standards.

 To streamline the initial phase of the contractor safety evaluation, ECCS has contracted with the North Dakota Safety Council (NDSC) who will act as ECCS’s agent to review the contractor’s safety and health program and assure that the contractor’s manual is in compliance with all regulations.

The information your company provides will be evaluated by NDSC and the results will be provided to your company and the ECCS. The evaluation will document the existence and current condition of the contractor’s safety and health program and may be utilized by the ECCS companies in its bid selection process. The document should be sent to the following address for review:

North Dakota Safety Council
1640 Burnt Boat Drive Bismarck, ND 58503
Phone #701-223-6372
Fax # 701-223-0087

The ECCS has subscribed to the services performed by NDSC under this program. All contractors are expected to submit their safety programs to attain 100% completion in all applicable safety categories.

THE INITIAL COST OF NDSC PERFORMING THE THIRD PARTY AUDIT OF THE CONTRACTOR’S SAFETY AND HEALTH MANUAL WILL BE PAID FOR BY THE ECCS. THE APPLICANTS MUST PAY SUBSEQUENT SUBMITTALS.

6. RECORD KEEPING

After completion of all required training and drug testing, the NDSC will maintain all employee records. These records will be maintained for a $5/person/entry processing fee. In order to minimize your fee, please submit the training and drug testing information in one submission, if possible. This fee is payable to the NDSC by the contractor, union organization or employee and will be billed by the NDSC. The ECCS contractor questionnaire must be submitted to the NDSC by March of each year.

7. SAFETY RECOGNITION

The ECCS will annually recognize contractors for their safety performance. The recognition will be based on the minimum requirements below:

II. BENEFITS OF CONTRACTOR SAFETY COALITION