ISN Insider

In London, the IOSH 2013 Conference & Exhibition is underway. ISNetworld is proud to be a sponsor of this year’s conference, themed Health and Safety: Fit for the Future. IOSH breakout sessions will include insights into how health and safety has developed in the European Union, the UK Government’s approach to improving workplace health and safety, and steps to strengthen your organisation’s health and safety culture. International keynote speakers include: • Commissioner László Andor, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission • Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Shadow Minister for Employment • Jason Anker, Director, Jason Anker Live Ltd, Motivational Safety Speaker Richard Cerenzio, Director at ISNetworld, will present and serve on the panel discussing Contractor Management: Embedding Safety Culture. Visit ISNetworld at booth C70 throughout the conference to learn about the many tools and resources ISNetworld provides to ensure your company’s contractor and supplier management system is best-in-class. For more information on the conference, click here. Resources: http://www.ioshconference.co.uk/page.cfm/Link=1/t=m/goSection=1

Effective January 1, 2013, the Provincial Government of Ontario implemented Bill 119, which changes the mandatory workers’ compensation coverage for companies in the construction industry. Bill 119 modifies the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act of 1997 by now requiring the following types of companies to obtain workers’ compensation coverage: –       Independent Operators –       Sole Proprietors –       Partners in a Partnership –       Executive Officers in a Corporation Bill 119 also further increases the responsibilities of both principals (clients) and contractors to obtain proper clearance from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) of Ontario before providing services. “If a contractor does not have a clearance, the principal may refuse entry to the jobsite. It will be an offence for a contractor to perform construction work for a principal without a valid clearance in place. Also, principal companies who purchase construction services must require all contractors/subcontractors to have a WSIB clearance before work starts. Failure to do so is an offence.” – WSIB While these changes took effect January 1, 2013, if WSIB finds that clearances are not being requested or provided correctly, they will take the opportunity to educate companies rather than enforcing offences. Offences will be enforced beginning in 2014. WSIB has created a website, www.BeRegisteredBeReady.ca, to serve as the central source of information regarding the required coverage changes. If you are unsure if your company is required to obtain workers’ compensation coverage through WSIB, please contact WSIB at 1-800-387-0750 or visit www.wsib.on.ca. Resources: http://www.beregisteredbeready.ca/ http://www.wsib.on.ca/en/community/WSIB

“To ensure continued high standards of safety and environmental responsibility, Upstream Gas is moving to a consolidated contractor prequalification platform developed by ISN, the global leader in contractor management databases. ISN will help us and our contractors keep pace with the increasingly complex legislative requirements.” – Michael Moraza, Group General Manager of Upstream Gas, AGL Energy AGL Energy Limited (AGL) and ISN partner to enhance contractor and supplier management across its Upstream Gas operations. Through the information collected in ISNetworld, ISN’s leading contractor management database, AGL will be able to easily identify and connect with companies that uphold the highest health, safety and environmental standards.

ISNetworld Enables the University to Monitor Real-Time Contractor HSE Information The University of Alberta has partnered with ISN to support the safety of their facilities and operations. Utilizing ISNetworld, ISN’s centralized database, the University will monitor the health, safety and environmental (HSE) compliance of its largest contractors. As the fourth largest employer in Alberta, the University remains firmly committed to workplace health and safety. The University of Alberta has over 38,000 students across five campus locations; four in Edmonton and one in Camrose. ISNetworld will provide the University with real-time health, safety and environmental data while maintaining a streamlined and transparent contractor qualification process. As part of its proactive approach to safety, the University will leverage contractor data collected, maintained and verified in ISNetworld. “Facilities and operations safety is of utmost importance to the University of Alberta,” said Adrienne Turner, Public Sector Director at ISN. “We look forward to upholding the University’s standards to ensure the safety of all contractors, employees and students.”

At the request of its Clients, ISN has implemented a new process which allows contractors to “revalidate” their safety programs to ensure their most up-to-date programs are within their ISNetworld account.  ISNetworld will prompt contractors who have had their safety programs uploaded for three or more years to confirm whether or not their programs are current. Once prompted, contractors will be given a grace period of 30 days to answer the revalidation question with “Yes” or “No” for each relevant program.   Answering “Yes” indicates the program submitted into ISNetworld is up-to-date and answering “No” indicates that the current program needs to be submitted. Upon answering “No” to a revalidation question, the contractor will be given a 90-day grace period for revalidation. This time period allows the contractor 90 days to upload their recent program into ISNetworld for review before grading is affected. Click here to view a step-by-step video on the safety program revalidation process upon logging into your ISNetworld account. For further assistance, please contact the ISN Customer Service Team.