1 min read
How closely are you managing your contractors?
How closely are you being managed by your Operators?
Staying in compliance is always an issue for members of the oil and gas industry, especially pipeline operators. Operators feel the burden of all rules and regulations, not only for their internal staff but for their contractor and subcontractor employees as well.
No matter the size of your operating company, ensuring that your workforce and your contractors’ workforce is qualified and up to date on their qualifications, certifications, and minimum requirements, is nearly impossible. PHMSA has talked a lot recently about making sure that operators are taking responsibility for their contractors. Brian Dresel with PHMSA spoke at the SGA Training Conference in Denver, CO on June 6-8, 2018.
In his PHMSA Update he:
- Recommended that Operators consider setting a total number (2-3) of attempts on exams in their OQ Plan.
- Asked the Operators if the Contractors are following their requirements for OQ Tests. The answer by the Operators is No.
- Analyzed the challenges in dealing with disqualification. Brian asked, “How do you know you are using the right Contractors?”
- Example: Employee 1 works for ABC Contractor. Employee 1 becomes disqualified, and Operator 1 does not allow Employee 1 on his job site. Employee 1 quits ABC Contractor and goes to work for XYZ Contractor who also performs tasks for Operator 1. Therefore Employee 1 is working on the Operator 1 pipeline again even though he was disqualified by the first company.
- Discussed the use of waiting periods for taking and retaking assessments.
- Mentioned the Final Rule Update: don’t expect major difference or changes
Making sure you are using Contractors who can work on your job site is a very time-consuming task. Verifying Contractor insurance, substance test information, OSHA logs and driving records are a headache in and of itself.
The EWN Compliance department is excited to announce many new services and packages that can help with these issues, including our Contractor Management Package.
As part of the Contractor Management Package, we will work with you to provide management of your Contractor clients; this includes assisting Contractor clients in entering compliance information into EWN and verifying information as requested by the Operator client.
The stress of worrying about your employees as well as your Contractors can often be too much to handle. Let EWN help you manage your Contractors. Email our Compliance department at compliance@energyworldnet.com or call us at 855.396.5267 and ask for the Compliance team. We look forward to helping you.