Workplace Safety & Health Program for Contractors - Materials Management - Corporate Finance

Workplace Safety & Health Program for Contractors

Updates to the Workplace Safety & Health Program Documents

July 11, 2012 - A new Contractor Safety Procedures Documents has been added.

Manitoba's Workplace Safety and Health Act requires employers to develop workplace safety and health criteria to evaluate, select and monitor contractors that are involved in work at the workplace. To meet this requirement, the City of Winnipeg has a process applicable to contractors that perform work for the City in the following circumstances:

construction contracts with an estimated cost greater than $100,000 or considered to have high safety risk by the City and
non-construction contracts considered to have high safety risk by the City.

Contractor Safety & Health Program Evaluations

The City's process requires bidders on affected Bid Opportunities, to submit, within 5 business days of a request by the City, proof of an "acceptable" safety and health program. Bidders who cannot provide this proof are not awarded the contract.

Proof is considered to be:

written confirmation of a Manitoba COR™ program (the City of Winnipeg does not accept SECOR™) or
written evaluation and verification by an independent workplace safety and health consultant

"Acceptable" means that the program meets or exceeds the elements required of a safety program as outlined in Section 7.4(5) of the Workplace Safety and Health Act.

A contractor can submit proof to the City prior to any bid submission. COR™ contractors are considered by the City to be a Workplace Safety & Health Program Pre-Qualified Contractor as long as their COR™ remains current. Contractors that have been found to have an acceptable safety and health program by an independent workplace safety and health consultant are considered by the City to be a Workplace Safety & Health Program Pre-Qualified Contractor for three years from the date of the evaluation of their program.

While Workplace Safety & Health Program Pre-Qualified contractors do not have to re-submit proof with each bid opportunity during the pre-qualified time period, they are required to provide a contract specific Safe Work Plan if specified in the contract (bid opportunity).

Proof of Acceptable Safety & Health Programs

Bidders/Contractors can meet the requirement for independent evaluation verification of their safety and health program by:

- providing written confirmation of a Manitoba COR™ program;

(Manitoba COR™ certified companies must submit a copy of their certificate that includes their COR™ number along with the date of their certification and expiry date to their assigned Contract Administrator or if a contract administrator has not yet been assigned, to the City contact person listed below.) or

- providing written confirmation from an independent workplace safety and health consultant satisfactory to the City.

(The company is to provide a copy of a signed letter from their independent workplace safety and health consultant that includes a statement that their program meets the criteria as found in the Contractor Safety & Health Program Evaluation Document. The letter is to be sent to their assigned Contract Administrator or if a contract administrator has not yet been assigned, to the City contact person listed below.)

Manitoba COR™ Certification

The Manitoba Certificate of Recognition Program (COR™) is an occupational health and safety accreditation program that verifies a fully implemented safety & health program which meets national standards. COR™ is endorsed by Manitoba Labour and Immigration, Workplace Safety and Health Division and the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba (WCB).

Contractors achieve COR™ by completing courses administered by either the Construction Safety Association of Manitoba CSAM) or the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association (MHCA). Upon successful completion of all courses, the contractor's safety & health program is independently audited. The results of the audit determine whether the contractor receives Manitoba COR™ standing.

The City will accept COR™ that is issued by CSAM or MHCA. Contractors that have obtained out of province COR™ can apply to CSAM or MHCA for Manitoba COR™ equivalency. The City will accept equivalency granted by CSAM or MHCA.

The City of Winnipeg does not accept the Small Employer Certificate of Recognition Program (SECOR™). Contractors who have obtained SECOR™ are required to provide the City with a letter/report which discloses the same information as required under the Independent Safety and Health Program Review.

Independent Safety and Health Program Review

Bidders/Contractors can meet the requirement for independent verification without obtaining COR™ by providing written confirmation from an independent workplace safety and health consultant satisfactory to the City. The safety and health program review is conducted using a standardized evaluation template provided by the City to ensure consistency. The template called the Contractor Safety & Health Program Evaluation Document is based on the requirements of Manitoba's Workplace Safety and Health Act.

The completed evaluation document becomes the property of the contractor. The City requires a signed, dated letter/report from the independent workplace safety and health consultant which states;

The Contractor's Legal name;
The Contractor's business/operating name (if different from the legal name);
The date(s) of the evaluation; and
A clear and concise statement indicating whether or not the Contractor's safety and health program meets the City's criteria for an acceptable program as found in the Evaluation Document.

Independent workplace safety and health consultants satisfactory to the City include persons who:

have been approved to conduct COR™ audits; or
hold certification such as Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) or equivalent.

Safe Work Plans

A Safe Work Plan evaluates the hazards associated with the specific tasks of the contract work and details the steps the contractor will take to control each hazard. After the City contract is awarded, the pre-qualified contractor may be required to submit a contract specific Safe Work Plan to the City before the work can begin.

The City will monitor the contractor's safety performance during the course of the work using the Safe Work Plan that was prepared by the contractor. Should safety and health concerns arise as a result of the contractor's work activities, the contractor is responsible to address the concerns to the satisfaction of the City.

In the event of unsatisfactory safety performance by the contractor, the City may terminate the contract and remove the contractor's designation as a Workplace Safety & Health Program Pre-Qualified Contractor. In addition, the eligibility of the contractor to perform future work for the City may be impacted.

To ensure that consistent safety and health information is included in the safe work plan, the contractor is to use the City's Safe Work Plan Document.

Attachments

Contractor Safety Procedures (pdf, 63kb)

This document outlines the process used to evaluate, select and monitor contractors working for the City of Winnipeg. It can be used to communicate contractor safety requirements and contains tools and links to additional resources.

Contractor Safety & Health Program Evaluation Document
Please use this Microsoft Word form template to evaluate a contractor's Workplace Safety & Health Program. Workplace Safety & Health Program.

Contractor Safety & Health Program Evaluation Document (pdf, 325kb)
If you do not have Microsoft Word, please use this Adobe Acrobat version.

Safe Work Plan Document
Please use this Microsoft Word form template for documenting a contractor's Safe Work Plan.

Safe Work Plan Document (pdf, 63kb)
If you do not have Microsoft Word, please use this Adobe Acrobat version.