Partnership #325 - Annual Evaluation - 2011

1) Perform data analysis as a means to establish causes of fatalities, injuries, and illnesses for electrical work in the Industry (Data for work performed under both normal and emergency situations will be included).

a) Obtain industry-specific Days Away from Work, Restricted Work Activity, or Job Transfer (DART) rates and Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR) base on partner recordable injuries and illnesses per man hours worked annually.

b) Continue to analyze data from Industry Partner fatalities and catastrophes as outlined by the OSHA Form-170s.

c) Analyze accident, incident data using partner OSHA Form 300 to identify common causes for non-fatal injuries, and illnesses suffered by linemen, apprentices, and other appropriate job classifications.

d) Assign priorities to address the causal factors. The causal factors will be assigned to specific Task Teams to develop strategies for addressing these causes, including:

• Consensus best practices
• Training
• Outreach and communication

i. Annual DART rate and TCIR for Industry Partners compared to published BLS averages for the industry.

ii. Summary report of industry fatality and catastrophe data maintained by the Industry Partners.

iii. Summary report of accidents and incidents, including causal factors using data analysis from Industry Partner OSHA Form 300 data

iv. Summary report of priority causal factors and Task Team assignments.

2) Develop Best Practices documents to reduce the number of fatalities, injuries, and illnesses that directly correspond to causes identified under Goal 1, and any other significant hazards identified by the Industry Partners.

• Develop consensus industry Best Practices documents for identified accident causes as prioritized by the Steering Team. These causes will relate to the maintenance, repair, and construction of transmission and distribution systems (Procedures should be appropriate under both normal and emergency situations).

b) Develop implementation strategies for each Best Practice document and share with OSHA. Implementation strategies should include all major milestones, projected timelines, and means of verification.

i. Number and focus of consensus Best Practices documents developed.

ii. Number and focus of Best Practices documents effectively implemented by Industry Partners.

3) Ensure that the Partners' employees are effectively trained to follow safety and health rules, to utilize the established best practices, and to change safety culture. Training such as the Industry Specific 10-Hour Training and the Supervisory and Leadership Skills Outreach Training (SLSOT) courses.

a) Continue to develop, update and/or conduct for foremen, general foremen, supervisors, linemen and apprentices based on Goal 1 and Goal 2. All training developed by the Partnership will be assigned a course title and will be reported to OSHA

b) Develop a procedure for the uniform evaluation and documentation of training (i.e. database system) of foremen, general foremen, supervisors, linemen and apprentices.

c) Create re-training/refresher process for linemen, apprentices, foremen, general foremen, and supervisors. This process should identify changes in technology, industry practices, best practices, technical standards, and other information relevant to the training programs.

d) Develop a process for Partners to mitigate safety procedure violations that could result in incidents or accidents.

 i. Summary report including the number and percentage of foremen, general foremen, supervisors, linemen and apprentices receiving the Industry Specific Training and SLSOT courses.

ii. Implementation of a training tracking system.

iii. Establish new retraining/refresher training process for linemen, apprentices, foremen, general foremen, and supervisors.

iv. Annual report of processes developed by Industry Partners designed to mitigate safety procedure violations that could result in incidents or accidents.

4) Effectively communicate information to improve the safety and health culture within the electrical transmission and distribution industry.

a) Make Best Practices available to the public.

b) Promote the value of a positive safety and health culture to the industry.

c) Share information with OSHA Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) regarding the electric transmission and distribution industry.

i. Number of consensus best practices posted on common Web Site or through other electronic tools; number of database/Web visits to centralized best practices site.

ii. Number of outreach products for each of the following:

• Videos
• Publications
• Workshops

OSHA and the OSP participants will continue to collaborate to provide safe and healthful work environments for workers and contractors involved in the ET&D industry by working toward prevention and elimination of serious accidents, injuries, and fatalities through: increased supervisor, foremen/general foremen training; development and implementation of best practices; enhancement of safety and health management programs; and assuring compliance with OSHA standards and regulations for this industry.

The OSHA and ET&D OSP's Task Teams (Data, Training, Best Practices, and Communication), as well as other OSHA and signatory representatives, will analyze partner company and industry accident and incident data to identify common causes for fatalities, injuries, and illnesses experienced by linemen, apprentices, and other appropriate job classifications. Based on this analysis, the OSP Task Teams will make recommendations on and develop products and activities to address the strategies outlined in the table above.

Through the OSHA and ET&D OSP, Executive Committee, Steering Committee, and Task Teams representatives will continue to pursue efforts to promote a safety culture change by placing value on safety and health throughout the ET&D industry. The OSP participants will continue to share information including Best Practices documents and other OSHA and ET&D OSP successes, through the participants' website, http://www.powerlinesafety.org.

Partners

SIC

NAICS

Asplundh Tree Expert Company

1623

237130

Henkels & McCoy, Inc.

1623

237130

MasTec, Inc.^**

1623

237130

MDU Construction Services Group, Inc.

1623

237130

MYR Group, Inc.

1623

237130

Pike Electric, LLC

1623

237130

Power Line Services, Inc.^**

1623

237130

Quanta Services, Inc. 

1623

237130

^** MasTec, Inc. and Power Line Services, Inc. joined the OSP as signatories during 2011.

During this evaluation period, Pike Electric was working toward VPP recognition in North Carolina.

The Training Task Team (TT-2) coordinates the training efforts for the OSHA and ET&D OSP. Some of the duties of this Task Team include developing training courses as needed to address identified accident causal factors, tracking the training courses provided, and promoting the OSHA and ET&D OSP's training efforts throughout the industry.

During 2011, the OSP partners continued to conduct the Supervisory Leadership Skills Outreach Training (SLSOT) course. This course is designed to help foremen/general foremen create a safe work culture on the job, and course attendees receive an OSHA training card upon successfully completing the course. A total of 2,429 supervisors and managers completed this training during this evaluation period.

In addition, 30,132 workers successfully completed the ET&D industry-specific OSHA 10-Hour Outreach Training Program course during this evaluation period. This number includes apprentices, journeymen, and foremen/general foremen.

The OSP partners and OSHA worked on the development of a proposal to conduct the ET&D industry-specific OSHA 10-Hour Outreach Training Program (10-Hour course) and ET&D Train the Trainer courses through OSHA's Education Centers. If implemented, this approach would create a nationwide network of training venues for partner and non-partner industry workers.

MDU Construction Services Group, Inc (MDU-CSG):
MDU-CSG trained eighty employees in the 10-Hour course. MDU-CSG also trained twenty-two supervisors in the ET&D SLSOT course. In addition, the company conducted 1,627 hours of training on OSHA's Electrical, Standard 1910.269 and other related courses.

Power Line Services, Inc.:
Representatives from Power Line Services, Inc. conducted weekly new employee orientation training courses on topics such as: 10-Hour course; First Aid and CPR; Rigging/Signalperson; Equipotential Zone Bonding; Power Line Services Orientation; and "prevent" (See Section 2d.).

In addition, the company reported that it conducts "Foreman's Academy" 3 to 4 times annually for all company supervisory personnel. "Foreman's Academy" is a training course similar to the SLSOT course. In the field, the company provides technical training courses weekly. The topics of the field training and the equipment demonstrated vary based on the needs as determined by company's safety professionals.

All OSP participating contractor companies reported that their Safety and Health Management Programs (SHMP) were improved during this evaluation period.

The implementation of Best Practices documents helps the OSP partners to continually improve their SHMP. For example, the OSP partners continued to review the scope of their implementation of Best Practices documents, and results from this analysis were used to enhance their SHMP.

Best Practice Documents:

The OSP partners finalized work on "Safety at Heights - Fall Protection on Wood Poles" to reduce or eliminate injuries and fatalities caused by fall hazards on wood poles and other structures. The "Safety at Heights - Fall Protection on Wood Poles" Best Practices document was approved by the Executive Team and became effective on March 31, 2011. The OSP partners continued work on the "Safety at Heights - Fall Protection on Lattice Structures" and "Safety at Heights - Fall Protection on Steel Poles." The OSP participants anticipate presenting these Best Practice documents to the Executive Team for approval in 2012.

Henkels & McCoy, Inc. (H&M):

During 2011, H&M engaged DuPont Safety Services to help assess and improve safety performance. According to the company, in the last two years, H&M has experienced a 20 percent year over year Total Recordable Incident Rate improvement. H&M reported that continuous improvement in their company's SHMS through the company-wide implementation of one hundred percent fall protection requirements on wood poles.

MasTec, Inc.:

MasTec, Inc. began revising their SHMP in 2011. The program is modeled after the ANSI Z10 standard and contains the following elements: Introduction; Safety and Health Policy; Hazard Identification; Assessment; Control and Reporting; Job Hazard Analysis; Safety and Health Goals and Objectives; Legal Requirements; Safety and Health Responsibilities; Safety and Health Training; Safety and Health Communication; Document Control; Emergency Action; Key Performance Indicators; Incident Reporting; Investigation; and Analysis; Records Management; Safety and Health Inspections; and Audit and Management Review. The program is under Senior Management review. The company is striving to finalize their safety program during the second quarter of 2012.

MDU Construction Services Group, Inc. (MDU-CSG):

MDU-CSG reported that continuous improvement in their company's SHMP has improved safety and health awareness and that the enhancement has resulted in fewer injuries experienced by MDU-CSG workers.

Power Line Services, Inc.:

Power Line Services, Inc. implemented "prevent," which encompasses all field-level safety activities into a fluid system that prompts employee participation, drives a questioning attitude, and provides authority for any employee to stop a task. While this process is not necessarily new, it reinforces the task system in a simplified manner. Jobsite safety audits and behavioral-based observations are audited, analyzed, and communicated back to the field to ensure the process is serving its purpose.

OSHA and the partners continued their collaboration and outreach activities during the evaluation period. OSP partners reported their representatives participated in the following training, seminars and conferences:

Power Line Services, Inc.:
February 22, 2011, Crane Institute Certification, Houston, TX. Power Line Services, Inc. representatives attended a conference on crane standards and pre-operation inspection.

March 30 to April 1, 2011, Rigging/Signaling Conference, Houston, TX. Power Line Services, Inc. representatives attended a qualified rigger and signalperson conference.

November 3-4, 2011, ISNetworld ISN 2011 Annual Users Conference, Grapevine, TX. Power Line Services representatives attended a conference for industry stakeholders to come together and discuss best practices in contactor health, safety, and procurement.

National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA):
April 11, 2011, NECA District 10 Meeting, Key Largo, FL. A NECA representative conducted a panel discussion "ET&D Partnership Activity Update."

Henkels & McCoy, Inc. (H&M): March 28-30, 2011, Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Spring Safety and Health Committee Meeting, Alexandria, VA. H&M representatives attended the Spring EEI Safety and Health Committee meeting. In addition to attending the conference sessions, the representatives also participated in and are members of the EEI Industry Practice Task Force and the EEI Contractor Safety Committee.

May 16-19, 2011, ESMO Conference and Exposition 2011, Providence, RI. An H&M representative attended and participated in a panel discussion at the conference. During a ninety minute presentation, the representative discussed Contactor Safety and OSP issues such as Best Practices and OSHA 10-Hour and OSHA 20-Hour hour training.

June 12-15, 2011 American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Professional Development Conference in Chicago, IL. H&M representatives attended the conference.

September 25-28, 2011, EEI Fall Occupational Safety and Health Committee Conference. H&M representatives attended the conference. In addition to attending the conference sessions, the representatives also participated in and are members of the EEI Industry Practice Task Force and the EEI Contractor Safety Committee.

October 30, 2011 to November 4, 2011 National Safety Council Congress and Expo, Philadelphia, PA.
H&M representatives attended the conference.

MDU Construction Services Group, Inc (MDU-CSG):
March 28-30, 2011, EEI Spring Safety and Health Committee Meeting, Alexandria, VA. MDU-CSG representatives attended the conference sessions and also participated in and are members of the EEI Industry Practice Task Force and the EEI Contractor Safety Committee.

June 12- 15, 2011, ASSE Professional Development Conference, Chicago, IL. MDU-CSG representatives attended continuing education seminars and workshops. On June 15, 2011, MDU-CSG representatives with other OSP partners conducted a panel presentation on the OSHA and ET&D OSP's goals and strategies, Best Practices, and discussed the latest training techniques, equipment, and safety and health resources available through the OSP.

October 22-25, 2011, NECA Annual Convention, San Diego, CA. MDU-CSG representatives attended continuing education seminars and workshops. On October 24, 2011, Frank Richard, OSHA and ET&D OSP Steering Team Chair, assisted OSHA and other partner members in providing a review of the OSP's development and management structure, as well as the formation of the eight best practices for outside line workers and how contractors can implement them in day-to-day operations.

October 30 to November 2, 2011, National Safety Council Congress and Expo, Philadelphia, PA. MDU-CSG representatives attended continuing education seminars and workshops. On October 31, 2011, an MDU-CSG representative facilitated a panel discussion about the OSHA and ET&D OSP history, management structure, strategies, Best Practices, training, and promotion efforts through the OSP.

OSHA:
May 18, 2011 - Electrical Safety Summit, Washington, DC. Jordan Barab, Deputy Assistant Secretary, US DOL - OSHA, presented an overview and highlights of the successes of the OSHA and ET&D OSP.

June 15, 2011 - ASSE Professional Development Conference, Chicago, IL. Gregory Baxter, Regional Administrator, Region VIII, US DOL-OSHA, led a panel discussion on the successes of the OSHA and ET&D OSP.

October 31, 2011 - National Safety Council Congress and Expo, Philadelphia, PA. Workshop: OSHA Partnership - Changing Safety and Health Culture. Gregory Baxter, Regional Administrator, Region VIII, US DOL-OSHA, with ET&D OSP participants, conducted a workshop on the successes of the OSHA and ET&D OSP and how the OSP's unique management structure directly impacted the safety and health culture of the ET&D industry.

Various Dates: OSHA has representatives on each of the OSP functional teams. During the evaluation period the Executive Team, Steering Team, and Task Teams met on several occasions. During these meetings, the participating OSHA representatives shared expertise on a variety of topics, including OSHA recordkeeping requirements and cooperative programs policy related to the OSP.

Not required.

This section includes information regarding inspections conducted for the signatory construction contractors and their subsidiaries.

• During 2011, the OSP participating employers experienced six fatalities: three were related to electrical contact; two fatalities resulted from falls, and one resulted from a struck-by accident. All workplace fatalities were investigated by OSHA.
• Twenty-four Serious, Repeat, and Willful violations were issued in 2011, an increase when compared to the fifteen citations of similar classification issued in 2010.
• In addition, during 2011, twenty-three Other Than Serious violations were issued.
• The OSP is reviewing accident causal factors, developing new Best -Practices documents for implementation to address these, and discussing ways to expand training to address issues identified during enforcement inspections.

^* This data is preliminary as some of the citation/violation numbers and classifications may change due to case settlements and the completion of a data migration project by OSHA. Data related to open inspections is not publicly releasable.

While the OSP does not require the participants to conduct self-inspections at their worksites, OSP participating companies do conduct self-inspections, and three participants provided information about those results for this evaluation.

MDU Construction Services Group, Inc. (MDU-CSG): 1,483 Self-inspections reported

MDU-CSG reported that the company has completed 1,483 self-inspections during the reporting period and that any hazards, if identified, were immediately corrected or abated.

The ET&D Best Practice Performance Evaluation Observation Form was used to evaluate the effectiveness of Best Practice implementation along with our internal inspection forms. Findings are addressed immediately where feasible or otherwise tracked for future follow-up.

Power Line Services, Inc.: 1,500 self-inspections reported, 125 hazards/violations corrected/abated

Power Line Services, Inc. reported that the company completed 1,500 self-inspections during the reporting period, with 125 hazards identified and immediately corrected or abated. Jobsite safety audits are completed by foremen, superintendents, management, and safety personnel.

MYR Group:

MYR Group reported that while the company does not keep records of all hazards that have been abated, hundreds of issues were corrected in the field at the time of the inspections.

^*** While the specific numbers of hazards corrected/abated as a result of OSP participating employer work site self-inspections are not required to be tracked by the OSP, the partners have agreed to correct all serious hazards observed during any routine site audits.

The Data Task Team (TT-1) reviewed all industry fatality information and updated the baseline data accordingly; TT-1 also compiled TCIR, DART rate, and fatality information for the participating companies.

OSP Injury and Illness Rate Changes 2010-2011:

OSP participating employer participants, as a group, achieved a TCIR of 2.58 in 2011. This figure represents an 18.7 percent decrease from the 2010 TCIR of 3.17. OSP participating employer participants, as a group, achieved a DART rate of 1.40 in 2011, a slight decrease when compared to the DART rate of 1.45 in 2010.

The injury and illness rates reported by the OSP participating employer participants, as a group, continue on their downward trend when viewed over the course of the OSP.

All of the working groups in the OSP experienced ongoing changes in team composition during the reporting period. The changes in participant representation impacted the teams through a lack of continuity and effectiveness while the new team members adjusted to their newly assigned roles and responsibilities on their respective teams.

In past years, TT-1 relied on OSHA Form 170 data to track fatality and catastrophic event information as an indicator of where to direct partnership activities. As the number of these events decreases, the need for an alternative trend indicator is apparent.

In 2011 TT-1 began collecting OSHA Form 300 data from the partnering contractors. The team developed a spreadsheet to collate the data and an analysis plan. Each year the partner contractors will provide information from their OSHA Form 300s to TT-1 for the purposes of analysis. The team will perform a detailed analysis of all partner injuries and illnesses for each calendar year (starting with 2011). The resulting data will be used to identify causal and contributing factors of all injuries and illnesses, not just fatal accidents. This will allow the OSP to identify causal factors of non-fatal injuries and illnesses and develop new or apply the use of existing Best Practices documents to address these incidents.

The OSHA 300 log data provides an indication where to focus future safety and health efforts. For example, preliminary results from the OSHA 300 data analysis in 2011 revealed that approximately one third of partner fatalities occurred on the ground. This analysis led the partners to focus on developing Best Practices to address the on the ground hazards.

The OSP needs to improve the data collection and tracking processes for training activities. Improved tracking of students who have completed the ET&D industry-specific OSHA 10 Hour Outreach Training Program Line Construction course and the SLSOT course will help to eliminate the duplication of training provided. During the reporting period, the OSP participants explored ways to accurately track and disseminate OSP training information. The OSP participants initially looked to private sector data management companies to develop a central database to accurately track the names of students successfully completing training: the issuance of 10-Hour course cards, and the validating stamp on the reverse of the cards. After thorough discussions, the OSP participants decided that each company will track and record their respective training information.

With respect to employee involvement, the OSP participants have acknowledged that injuries and accidents continue to occur despite their aggressive efforts to reduce or eliminate them.

Efforts will be made by OSHA in 2012 to ensure that each partner provides as much detailed data and information as possible for the evaluation.

Power Line Services, Inc.:

Power Line Services, Inc. representatives have indicated that the company is planning to conduct the ET&D OSP developed SLSOT training course in 2012.

Communication between the industry partners and OSHA demonstrates commitment to the OSP and raised safety and health awareness for the ET&D industry. The partners' willingness to renew the OSP demonstrates their commitment to safety and health for their industry. The OSP encourages OSHA, industry safety professionals, workers, and labor representatives to participate in the occupational safety and health process. OSHA and the OSP partners continued their work together in 2011 to promote occupational safety and health through a number of various safety and health outreach and promotion activities specifically focusing on the ET&D industry.

The ongoing success of the OSP is due, in part, to its unique management structure. The OSP's Executive Team, made up of CEO-level management, meets approximately three to four times per year to approve OSP activities and products and to manage overall OSP implementation.

The OSP's Steering Team, made up of employer participants' safety and health managers and an OSHA National Office representative, meets approximately every four to six weeks, manages day-to-day operations of the OSP, and serves as the liaison between the Executive Team and the Task Teams. During this evaluation period the Steering Team met nine times: January 24, 2011; February 4, 2011; February 18, 2011; March 28, 2011; April 19, 2011; May 20, 2011; July 27, 2011; September 27, 2011; and November 8, 2011. The four Task Teams comprised of workers, supervisors, and OSHA representatives, meet as needed to focus on specific OSP activities.

The OSP demonstrates benefits for the participants through a continual decrease in injuries and illnesses.
Results from the OSHA 300 data analysis in 2011 revealed that approximately one third of partner fatalities occurred on the ground. This analysis led the partners to focus on developing Best Practices to address and mitigate the on the ground hazards experienced by ET&D workers.

By working on common goals, analyzing accident and injury data for causal factors, and implementing Best Practices, the OSP participating employers' injury and illness rates have been reduced over the seven year history of the OSP and continued to trend downward in 2011.

In addition, the number of OSP participants increased during 2011 with the addition of signatory companies Power Line Services, Inc and MasTec, Inc. Power Line Services, Inc. joined the OSP on August 4, 2011 and MasTec, Inc. on September 27, 2011.