ISN Insider

ISN published its latest analysis of insurance requirements on subscribers in Canada. This analysis is based on over 34,000 insurance submissions by Canadian contractors in 2017. The main objective of this publication is to share industry-specific benchmarking information displaying how insurance requirements for Hiring Clients in Canada align with other industry peers. This publication is ISN’s first Insurance Benchmarking Report for customers in Canada. Hiring organizations can leverage this data to help establish data-driven, objective baselines for setting contractor insurance requirements and assess their organizations’ risk management strategies. Industries include: Agriculture, Food & Beverage Downstream Oil & Gas (Refining) & Chemical Manufacturing* Midstream Oil & Gas (Pipeline) Mining & Fertilizer Products Upstream Oil & Gas (Onshore) Utilities, Transmission, Distribution & Power Generation *Manufacturing includes Auto, Steel & Metals, Pharmaceutical, Consumer Products and Paper Packaging and Building Products To view this report and other publications issued by ISN, visit the ISN Publications page.  

The deadline for employers to comply with the updated WHMIS standards, released in 2015, was December 1, 2018. ISN is making several updates to comply including: Updating Controlled Products terminology to Hazardous Products Safety Data Sheets (SDS): Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) have been updated to SDS. SDS now contain 16 sections that only require updating when new information becomes available. Hazard Communication: Products are labelled as Groups, Classes or Categories and split into Physical and Health Hazards, and then assigned a Category Hazard number. Hazard Symbols: Includes 10 hazard pictograms, opposed to 8. In 2015, Canada’s Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), the national hazard communication standard, was updated to incorporate the Global Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). GHS provides consistency between countries when communicating product information through labels, safety data sheets and pictograms. Chat with ISN if you have questions regarding ISNetworld. For more information on the GHS implementation in Canada, please visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/occupational-health-safety/workplace-hazardous-materials-information-system.html http://whmis.org/  

OSHA recently reported the top 10 most cited violations for the 2018 fiscal year, with 50% of violations cited for general industry standards (1910), and 50% cited for construction standards (1926). The top 10 citations are as follows: Fall Protection, General Requirements (1926.501) – Failure to provide fall protection remains the #1 violation from 2017. Hazard Communication (1910.1200) – Failure to develop a hazard communication program, train employees and provide applicable safety data sheets. Scaffolds, General Requirements (1926.451) – Improper decking, failure to use personal fall arrest systems and inadequate scaffold positioning. Respiratory Protection (1910.134) – Failure to develop a respiratory protection program and conduct necessary fit-testing. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147) – Failure to develop energy control programs, train employees and use lockout/tagout in operations. Ladders (1926.1053) – Improper use of ladders, including using ladders in poor condition and not extending rail three feet above a landing. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) – Using defective industrial trucks and failure to certify operators. Fall Protection, Training Requirements (1926.503) – Failure to train employees on fall protection increased from being the #9 violation in 2017. Machine Guarding (1910.212) – Failure to guard point of operation and improperly secured guards. Machine Guarding decreased from being the #8 violation in 2017. Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment, Eye and Face Protection (1926.102) – New addition to the top 10 cited violations, most common among roofing contractors failing to use the proper PPE. The rankings for OSHA’s Top 10 most cited violations do not vary much from year to year. Electrical – Wiring Methods dropped off the list from the 2017 most cited violations and was replaced by Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment, Eye and Face Protection.

The 2018 OSHA Oil & Gas Safety and Health Conference will be held December 4-5 in Houston, TX at the Hilton Americas. This conference gathers over 1,000 key decision-makers to foster a better understanding of how industry professionals and OSHA can work together to improve safety performance. Richard Cerenzio, ISN Senior Director, and Efren Blackledge, ISN Data Science leader, will be presenting “Contractor Management Strategy – Insights from a Survey of Decision Makers” on Tuesday, December 4th from 10:30 to 11:15am. The breakout session will cover: Attributes of leading organizations Contractor Management Maturity Framework Challenges, Threats and Priorities of Decision Makers How to Drive Continual Improvement​ To register for the conference, please click here. We look forward to seeing you there.  

This Year’s Conference ISN will be exhibiting at the Southeast Mine Safety & Health Conference from October 31st to November 2nd in Birmingham, Alabama. The Southeast Mine Safety and Health Conference Executive Committee is a not-for-profit group formed to plan, market, manage, continuously improve and perpetuate the annual Southeast Mine Safety and Health Conference. This year’s conference theme is “Developing A Safety Culture.” Visit Our Booth Stop by booth # 31 to discuss your contractor management goals for 2019 and learn more about ISNetworld’s tools and services. We look forward to seeing you there.

About the 2018 NAEM EHS Forum NAEM’s EHS & Sustainability Management Forum is the largest annual gathering for environment, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability decision-makers. This year’s forum will welcome over 700 attendees from over 300 companies and is taking place October 23-25 in Louisville, Kentucky. The forum offers attendees five different breakout session tracks focused on EHS and business strategy, leadership excellence, and tools to help achieve EHS excellence. For information on the breakout session tracks, view the preliminary agenda. Visit with the ISN Team ISN is featured as a Green Sponsor at this year’s Forum. Our team will be located booth #502 in the exhibit hall. Stop by for a live demonstration of our online contractor management platform, ISNetworld, and to discuss your contractor management goals for 2019. We look forward to seeing you at the NAEM EHS Forum this year.  

This Year’s Conference ISN invites you to visit us at Booth #529 at the National Safety Council (NSC) Congress & Expo from October 22-24 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX. This year, over 14,000 safety, health and environmental professionals will be in attendance from more than 70 countries. Visit our Booth ISN will be located at Booth #529 throughout the conference. Stop by to discuss your contractor management goals and to see a demo of ISNetworld, ISN’s online platform. About the NSC Congress & Expo The NSC Congress & Expo is the world’s largest annual event dedicated to workplace safety. For more than 100 years, professionals have turned to this event for industry-leading technology, education and networking opportunities. We look forward to seeing you there.  

The 2018 OSHA Oil & Gas Safety and Health Conference will be held December 4-5 in Houston, TX at the Hilton Americas. This conference gathers over 1,000 key decision-makers to foster a better understanding of how industry professionals and OSHA can work together to improve safety performance.   The goal of both OSHA and the Oil and Gas Industry is to make work sites a safe and healthy place. This conference serves as an opportunity to share your ideas and experiences, products and services, and build relationships. The keynote speaker at this year’s conference is Johnny “Joey” Jones, Combat-wounded Staff Sergeant (Ret.).  Breakout Session Tracks include:  Behavior-Based Safety  Contractor Safety Management & Best Practices  Drilling & Well Control/Well Servicing & Completions  Education & Training/Transportation  Engineering Controls & Process Safety; Events & Mitigation  Management Leadership & HSE Management Systems  OSHA Regulatory/Industrial Hygiene  Target Topics  For additional information on the conference and to register, please click here.

Studies suggest that up to 20% of passengers on commercial airplanes may develop respiratory infections within a week of flying. Below are general tips to help protect yourself from the risk of getting sick following a flight: Ensure you consume enough water to keep your respiratory tract moist, which can help protect against germs. Wash your hands often with soap and water. If not available, carry hand sanitizer. Carry disinfectant wipes to wipe down hard surfaces in your seat vicinity including table trays, entertainment screens and seat belt buckles. Consider wearing a face mask to protect yourself from any airborne particulates. Additionally, high traffic areas may expose passengers to higher risk of encountering germs. Apart from obvious areas, such as washrooms, choosing an aisle seat may also increase your exposure due to the number of people passing the area when moving around the cabin. Window seats may help avoid unnecessary contact with other passengers. More tips for healthy flying can be found on WebMD. We hope these tips will help reduce the risk of in-flight viral exposure, so you can enjoy your destination.   References: https://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2014/12/spreading_more_than_cheer_holiday_fliers_100_times_more_likely_to_catch_germs_on_a_plane.html http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21155643/ns/travel-travel_tips/t/how-avoid-airplane-cold/#.W6JrZMxMFPB https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-december-21-2017-1.4458465/germs-on-a-plane-how-to-stay-healthy-while-travelling-1.4458761  

The STPS (Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare) published the Mexican Standard NOM-018-STPS-2015 titled “Harmonized System for the Identification and Communication of Hazards and Risks of Chemicals in the Workplace” (Sistema armonizado para la identificación y comunicación de peligros y riesgos por sustancias químicas peligrosas en los centros de trabajo) in October 2015. With this, Mexico implemented the 5th revision of the U.N. Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for all Mexican workplaces. Mexican workplaces will see the harmonized system for chemical identification in effect and enforceable in October. Companies had three years to transition to the new standard which outlines three main elements: Classification of chemical substances Standardization of container labels and SDS (Safety Data Sheets) according to the GHS standard format. While many countries have regulatory systems in place, the GHS provides a consistent system for the classification of hazardous chemicals. This means that regardless of where a chemical was created, all individuals potentially exposed will be able to understand the chemical classifications and associated hazards through updated pictograms and consistent SDS sheets. When a nation agrees to adopt the criteria and provisions of the GHS, they do so using their own regulatory process, as in the case of Mexico. For more information on the GHS implementation in Mexico and other countries please visit: NORMA Oficial Mexicana NOM-018-STPS-2015 http://www.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/ghs/implementation_e.html#c25721 https://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/ghsguideoct05.pdf