Some time ago, we added the ability to track which users in the system were "employees" and which were "subcontractors" (along with the subcontractor company name).  Until recently though, the company address that printed on the tickets was always the prime contractor's address (the company that held the SafetySync account).  At the request of a few clients that primarily hire subcontractors, we've added new textbox fields to the Employee Details screen.  When the user type "Contractor" is chosen, a section expands to show additional textboxes for the subcontractor's company name, address, city, province and postal code.


Now when a subcontractor's wallet card prints out (available upon completion of the required training course), the certificate now shows the subcontractor's company name and address.  Since regulated training tickets (such as TDG and WHMIS) require the name and address of the "employer" to be displayed, this new functionality satisfies this requirement.

Keep in mind that since the "employer" is, in fact, not the prime contractor in this situation, the authorized training manager's signature (if loaded into the system), will not display for subcontractors.  Subcontractors will need to sign their own tickets, since they are technically their own employer.  The prime contractor (account holder's) logo will still display to the right of the subcontractor company and address.

There has been some confusion about the new "National Standard" for COR (Certificate of Recognition).  The "National Standard" claim by the CFCSA (Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations) is made especially misleading by the fact their website mentions that it is nationally trademarked, presumably by the association.

This "National Standard" applies only to the construction industry.  Certifying partners in other industries have been administering CORs for many years, and do not endorse the construction standard.  Enform, for example, publishes the audit protocol for the oil and gas industry, and have recently updated their requirements in 2011, which have little resemblance to the construction requirements.  Similarly, WorkSafe BC publishes large and small company COR audit protocols for a wide range of industries, and it too does not follow the "National Standard" [Note: the BC audit review instruments are also available in SafetySync].  And neither of these organizations makes any claims or references to trademarks.

Despite all this, the "National Standard" is certainly a good idea, even if it only applies to the construction industry.  It allows safety management systems like ours to design common functionality around a general set of expectations.  [The audit protocols are remarkably similar though, even between industries and across provinces.]  Despite the goal of having a single list of requirements for the construction industry across Canada, provincial organizations are creating work-arounds.  In Manitoba, for example, the CSAM has added a 14th section to the audit requirements covering specific topics such as Hearing Conservation, Lockout / Tagout and Working Alone.

The good news for our current and prospective clients construction industry is that our audit review component now has functionality to help HSE personnel compile and prepare for the CFCSA National Standard, and the CSAM Manitoba supplement (section 14).
 
Simply check the box next to the appropriate audit standard(s) within the administrator portal in SafetySync to start managing these or any other COR audit protocols.

Service companies in Canada might be discouraged to learn that another subcontractor pre-qualification service/website has arrived on the scene.  PICS Auditing from Irvine, California has been in business for a while, but has only recently appeared on the radar North of the border when Suncor started using its service.

Like ISNetworld RAVS, they are trying to offer a more comprehensive pre-qualification than simply the registry of insurance documents and questions required by ComplyWorks.  Rumor has it that the PICS staff conduct video conferences with a subcontractor safety representative, and ask the person to hold up policies and records to the screen as a way of demonstrating compliance.  This seems at first glance to be yet another redundancy with the COR safety audits, which are performed in person.  PICS claims to be popular though:

They claim to be "preferred" by 81% of contractors (presumably over ISNetworld?)  I wonder if the number would be so high if they asked the contractor if they felt the PICS audit was useful if they had already passed their COR audit.

Regardless of whether the industry needs 3 subcontractor management systems in addition to COR audits, the fact remains that these subcontractors need to manage their safety programs and produce the compliance reports that these audits, reviews or questionnaires ask for.   Please call or email us if you would like an explanation of how an online safety management system like SafetySync can help you satisfy the requirements of these subcontractor audits, reviews and questionnaires.

We'll be the first to admit that some of the content in the Online Training module can be a little dry.  After a number of hours of listening to a narrator explain the merits of fit testing respirators and recording hazard assessments, employees can tend to tune-out the messages.  We're always adding various different "versions" of all our lessons, so as an administrator, we highly recommend you preview all the available video links for each topic, and choose the ones that are appropriate for the hazards at your workplace, but also entertaining enough that your employees will enjoy taking the training.

The Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia created arguably the most entertaining safety awareness videos we have ever seen.  They're short, and primarily geared at young workers, but the combination of creative drawing of a stickman, with a brilliant voice talent, makes them instant classics.

If you receive feedback from your employees that some of the SafetySync training can be dull or mundane, sprinkle in a few of these versions.  Here are the courses and lessons in which the Rod Stickman versions are available:

• Common Worksite Injuries
  • Heavy Lifting and Back Injuries
• Fall Prevention
  • Introduction to Slips, Trips and Falls
  • Elevated Falls - Working at Heights
• Occupational Health and Safety
  • Rights and Responsibilities
  • Right to Refuse Unsafe Work
• Return to Work
  • The Return to Work Program

We are certain that if you choose the "WorkSafeForLife" versions of these lessons in the OHSMS, you'll see your course feedback scores in SafetySync for these safety topics increase dramatically. And you'll hear some hearty laughs too.

In light of the controversial shooting of a black bear and her three cubs by a wildlife officer in Northern Alberta recently, and other similar instances, large oil companies have become concerned about the increasing interaction between humans and bears in the regions in which they operate.  Some of these companies, such as Encana, now requiring their employees and subcontractors to complete bear awareness training prior to coming to work in the area.

SafetySync has always had a good selection of bear and wildlife awareness training lesson choices to satisfy this requirement, but in light of the increased demand, we've added a couple new choices. One developed by the BC Ministry of Forests, another by the California Department of Fish and Game, as well as one by a group called "Be Bear Aware".  Employers can now choose between video links ranging from 8 minutes to 27 minutes for the bear awareness lesson.

We've also added a new lesson link (and associated quiz) in the Wildlife Awareness course called Bear Pepper Spray.  This 9 minute video, prepared by the US Parks Service, explains how to select, handle and fire a bear pepper spray canister in the event of a threatening bear encounter.  [It is highly informative; none of the staff here at SafetySync were aware that canisters should be test-fired, and that they contained enough pepper spray to be fired more than once.]  If your company policy requires employees working in the back country to take bear pepper spray with them, we highly recommend you turn on this lesson so they know how to use it.

We've added a new report (available on the Training Certificate list page) which provides administrators with a quick view of which employees have certificates that are current, coming due, past due, or missing altogether.

The name and position of each employee is listed on the left, and the certificate names are listed across the top.  The cells in the matrix are populated by a colored icon representing the appropriate status of the certificate.  [Note: blank cells mean that the certificate is not required for the employee's position.]

Like all reports in the SafetySync online safety management system, the report updates automatically as employees or administrators enter certificates (or through the passage of time as certificates expire).

We've added a new report to the Employee Details screen on the "Certificates" tab which allows the administrator to print a list of all certificates that are either required (regardless of their status) or optional but compliant.  This report is useful in showing auditors and customers the detailed status for each employee on a particular job or site.  The report also includes the certificate number, issue date and expiry date for each certificate.
 

Not according to Alberta Auditor General Merwan Saher in an April 2010 report.

“Half of those employers that persistently fail to comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act also continue to hold a valid Certificate of Recognition, and continue to have elevated injury rates among their workers,” Saher wrote.

We run into this issue all the time when selling our online safety management system.  Executives believe that because they scored well on their most recent COR Audit, that they are compliant with regulations and insulated from possible litigation.  Only after an accident and subsequent investigation does it come to light that the typical safety program had deficiencies and that supervisors, executives and directors are potentially liable.

The reality is that safety audits are only snapshots, and compliance with safety regulations requires incredible diligence and constant attention.  A formal electronic system like SafetySync not only makes your COR audits go smoother, but helps ensure your safety program receives the constant attention your stakeholders (of which the Government is only one) expect.  Anyone telling you a Certificate of Recognition means that your safety program is adequate, is probably giving you bad advice.

 
Those customers that use our system to train their employees for prime contractor orientations, will notice that for employees that have taken Shell's 12 Life Saving Rules, there will now be a second certificate on the printout.

Until now all the orientations and their expiries (if applicable) would print on the reverse side of a single ticket.  Some Shell worksites now require contractors and employees to carry a separate orientation card with them that lists the 12 Life Saving Rules.  So with this in mind, the separate certificate now prints for those that have taken this orientation, and it contains the required information.

Administrators and employees can re-print the orientation cards from within SafetySync for anyone that had previously completed the orientation, and the new Life Saving Rules certificate will be included.  The issue and expiry dates will still reflect the appropriate dates according to when the training and quiz were taken.

We will be performing some routine server maintenance and software feature updates on Sunday May 15, 2011.

The maintenance period is set to start at 18:00 MDT (UTC -6) and will end at approximately 21:00 MDT (UTC -6). The SafetySync online safety management system will be unavailable during this period.

We thank you in advance for your patience.