Health and Safety Program Overview
Required Safety Programs and Policies
All service providers must submit the following HSE Programs for review and acceptance by GRMS.
Disciplinary Policy
The disciplinary policy is aimed at ensuring that issues of misconduct are managed and dealt with in a fair and consistent manner. Provide a policy that promotes high standards of behavior and conduct for all employees and appropriate corrective action will be taken where those standards are not met.
Emergency Preparedness and Response
Provide procedures regarding how to respond and actions to be taken in the event of an emergency. This includes who to call, where to report in the event of evacuation, and accounting for employees. Contractor should have detailed plans for things such as, but not limited to incidental and hazardous spills, fire, earthquake, threatening storms, etc.
First Aid / CPR
Contractors must show employees are certified bi-annually in first aid, CPR and AED
General Waste Management
Provide programs and policy on how waste generated onsite is managed and disposed of. This includes but not limited to regular trash, non-hazardous waste, hazardous waste, recycling materials.
Hazard Communication
HazCom is employee right to know as it relates to chemicals in the workplace. Provide a written program including how chemicals are managed for use and storage. Details on how and where chemicals will be stored, how they will be labeled, availability of safety data sheets, and employee training must be included. Programs must be updated to include Global Harmonized System (GHS).
Hazard Identification
Contractors must define how they identify hazards in the workplace. This could be through risk assessments, inspections, and accident or incident investigations. Also include, how corrective actions will be addressed and followed through to completion.
Incident Investigation/Reporting
Provide procedures for reporting injuries, illness and near misses. Once these have been reported, what is the process for investigating and identifying the root cause and identify if there was an unsafe act or condition. Show how action items are tracked to completion.
Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) (for California only)
In California, every employer is required by law to provide a safe and healthful workplace for his/her employees. If you have ten or more employees, you are required to have a written IIPP in place. The Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) is a way to document how the company will reduce workplace injuries and illnesses. If you are not in California, provide a policy statement to show how you provide a safe and healthful work environment under the general duty clause.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
One way to prevent injury at work is to wear proper personal protective gear. Provide a program or procedures on how hazards are identified and then how the proper equipment to protect against those hazards is selected. This should include contractor’s procedures for conducting PPE Assessments to determine the proper equipment for protecting the head, eyes, hands, feet and body.
Stop Work
Provide a policy on employee’s right to stop work if an unsafe work condition or act is observed.
Conditional Safety Programs and Policies
In addition to the Required Safety Programs for all contractors, additional requirements will be added based on the contractor’s responses to the GRMS Conditional Safety Program Survey. The additional requirements will include specific safety programs and policies based on the scope of work. In some cases, training records will also be required to be submitted to GRMS.
Confined Space Entry
To keep workers safe, an employer must develop a detailed plan for each confined space, train employees on the plan, and implement immediate emergency response procedures including a rescue plan. Provide a written plan and proof of training for your employees to that plan. Make sure to detail the following:
- Who enters confined spaces?
- How do employees enter and exit?
- Have proper Confined Space Permit.
- What equipment workers need for each space?
- The work scheduled for each confined space.
- Have the proper equipment to test and monitor the atmosphere.
- Require attendant(s) outside each confined space to monitor the work, recognize an emergency, and activate a rescue if needed.
Cranes and Hoists (include aerial devices)
If you plan to use cranes, hoists or other lifting or aerial devices, provide a program or policy that details equipment to be used, policies on regular inspections and operator training. Even if the contractor is renting equipment, proof of employee training must be provided.
DOT
Current U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations require initial and recurrent training of all employees who perform work functions covered by the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180). Any employee whose work directly affects hazardous materials transportation safety is required to have training.
Electrical Safety
Electrical safety programs must be in accordance with OSHA regulations and NFPA 70E standards. Electrical contractors or those conducting work that involves the electrical systems, must be provided a program that identifies how their employees recognize hazards and prevent injury and exposure, safe work practices, Qualified Electrical Persons (QEPs), the training they require, PPE, and job specific policies related to the work tasks they will be conducting.
Ergonomics
Ergonomics aims to improve working conditions, work tools and work structuring in order for the optimum result to be achieved from the work and the person at work to suffer as few setbacks as possible.
Fall Protection
Contractors must show how they protect their employees when working from heights. This includes use of fall protection equipment and personal fall arrest equipment.
Fleet Safety
A fleet safety program establishes the policies and procedures that are needed to help ensure a safe work environment for employees . It can also help protect against liability from vehicle accidents.
Food Safety
A food safety program or training is to prepare food handlers to enter the workforce by providing the required food safety information as specified by regulations of the workers’ state or local government.
Hazardous Energy Control
Contractors conducting repair and maintenance and equipment or machines, must be trained to control hazardous energy. This includes the use and/or development of hazardous energy control procedures, application and removal of locks, tags and necessary devices, and training for authorized employees.
Hearing Conservation
A hearing conservation program will include protective and safety measures worker’s must take to be protected from significant occupational noise exposures which may lead to hearing impairment.
Heat and Cold Illness
Contractors must provide their plan that define requirements and standards for the prevention and control of the occurrence of heat related illnesses for employees working indoors and outdoors where temperatures may exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Workers who are exposed to extreme cold or work in cold environments may be at risk of cold stress. Extreme cold weather or working in cold environments such as cold rooms or freezers, is a dangerous situation that can bring on health emergencies in susceptible people, such outdoor workers.
Heavy Equipment Operator
Heavy equipment safety is particularly important because when accidents happen, they often lead to a lot of people being injured. Therefore, there is mandatory safe operator training specific to the equipment used.
Hot Work
Welding and Hot Work, such as brazing or grinding present a significant opportunity for fire and injury. All precautions of this program must be applied prior to commencing any welding or hot work by company employees or contractors.
Laboratory Safety
Laboratory workers are exposed to numerous potential hazards including chemical, biological, physical and radioactive hazards, as well as musculoskeletal stresses. Laboratory safety is governed by numerous local, state and federal regulations. Safety protocols will support a safe and healthy work environment.
Lead
Take precautions to reduce the risk of lead poisoning. Whatever method is used for removing lead-based paint, safety procedures and precautions must be taken. Lead paint must be removed by certified individuals and a plan must be put into place prior to removal.
Mold
Companies involved in mold removal must follow guidelines for the remediation/cleanup including measures designed to protect the health of building occupants and remediators.
Pest Control
Pest control companies must obtain proper licenses and certifications per federal, state and local requirements. A company should consider the safeguards to prevent worker injury and injuries related to pest control activities.
Powered Industrial Trucks (PIT)
Respiratory Protection Program
Respirators are a type of personal protective equipment used to provide protection against worker exposure to airborne substances. When airborne exposures cannot be controlled, or while controls are being installed, appropriate respirators may be used. Contractors must have a written program that details respirator selection, medical clearances, fit testing and training.
Trenching and Shoring
Trenching for buried utilities, pipelines, water transport, and other activities may be hazardous. Trenches are usually deeper than wide, and the walls may become unstable and collapse on top of workers. Activities of trenching and shoring much follow the applicable regulations and safety protocols.
Work Alone
Working alone includes all workers who may go for a period of time where they do not have direct contact with a co-worker. Policy should be developed around working alone, especially in hazardous situations.
Workers’ Compensation Clearance Letters
& Premium Rate Statements
Workers’ Compensation Clearance Certificates
As an employer, it is in your best interest to request a clearance letter from the WCB whenever you hire contractors or subcontractors who have workers. The clearance letter confirms that the contractor’s account with the WCB is in good standing.
Clearance ensures that the employer is protected and that all employers carry their fair share of the cost of the compensation system. Without clearance, as an employer, you may be liable for your contractors or subcontractors assessments if they have not paid assessments for their workers.
GRMS will collect these clearance certificates from the contractors or subcontractors who have workers for each province or territory required as part of our Health and Safety Program.
Workers’ Compensation Premium Rate Statement
In Canada’s workers’ compensation system, the contractor’s premium rate directly reflects its industry’s performance and its own. The premium rate is the cost of coverage per $100 of assessable earnings of all workers (plus any personal coverage the contractor buy itself).
Injury and Illness Metrics
Total Recordable Injury Frequency (TRIF)
- It’s a mathematical computation that takes into account how many recordable incidents your company has per number of hours worked. The frequency is calculated as follows:
- (Number of Incidents x 200,000) / total number of hours worked in a year
Lost Time Injury Rate (LTIR)
- is a standard metric that calculates the number of incidents that result in time away from work. Not all recordable incidents result in lost time, which is why there is a separate calculation for these more severe incidents.
- Lost Time Injury is defined as:
- – Any injury that has at least one full day lost time
– The day of the accident doesn’t count and the day the employee returns to work doesn’t count no matter what time of the day the accident occurs or when the employee returns to work - The Lost Time Incident Rate is calculated similarly to TRIF
- (Number of lost time cases x 200,000) / total number of hours worked by employees
GRMS Program Comparison
| GRMS | AVETTA | ISN | |
| Conditional Safety Program Review | Customizable | Yes | Yes |
| Insurance Verification | Digital Insurance Verification (DIV) | Self-Reported | Self-Reported |
| Integrated into overall risk assessment report | Yes | No | No |
| Safety Manual Collection and Desk Review | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Workers’ Compensation Clearance Certificate Collection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Workers’ Compensation Premium Rate Statement Collection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contractor Support | Included | Extra Fee | Included |
| Cost to Client | $0 | Variable | Variable |
