Contractor Protection

Construction/Renovations Checklist

Construction/Renovations Checklist(pdf)

OSHA Contractor Protection Standards

Introduction

All firms contracted by College of Saint Benedict (CSB) and the Order of Saint Benedict (OSB), because they are employers, are required by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to provide safe and healthy employment to their employees.

CSB as an employer is also responsible for providing a safe and healthful work environment for its employees. Contract work, especially in occupied buildings, may present situations or conditions that may adversely impact on the safety and health of CSB/OSB employees.

Responsibilities

All CSB/OSB personnel responsible for managing contracts will ensure that:

  1. Each contractor is provided with warnings of hazards and information about CSB/OSB programs for abating these hazards;
  2. Each contractor is informed of CSB/OSB safety, health, and environmental requirements; and
  3. The work is conducted in a safe and responsible manner in compliance with applicable regulations and CSB/OSB requirements.
Contracting Officer

The Contracting Officer will ensure that the contract language requires the contractor to:

  1. Meet all applicable federal, state, and local environmental, health, and safety regulations and CSB/OSB requirements;
  2. Provide its employees with the necessary training, medical exams, and safety equipment;
  3. Where necessary, submit written comprehensive safety and health plan for the specific contract undertaken;
  4. Comply with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations and CSB /OSB requirements, with violation being grounds for default of the contract.

The project's Contracting Officer will:

  1. Communicate the contractual, statutory, and other environmental, health and safety requirements to the contractor prior to the start of the contract;
  2. Ensure that the safety and health plan is submitted with the bid package;
  3. Ensure that such requirements are addressed in the Request for Solicitation and/or contract paperwork; and
  4. Ensure that such requirements are observed.
  5. Upon receipt of a report of a noncompliance or any condition which poses a serious or imminent danger to health or safety, issue a request for immediate corrective action from the contractor.
Project Officer

The Project Officer will, prior to the start of the contract, inform the contractor of the requirement to observe all environmental, health, and safety provisions specified in the contract, provided by statutes/regulations or otherwise required.

The Project Officer and his/her representative will:

  1. Ensure EHS is provided with a copy of any  written contractor's health and safety plan for review prior to the pre-construction meeting with the contractor.
  2. Ensure that health and safety issues are brought up for discussion at all pre-construction meetings held with contractors.
  3. Provide EHS and Security Department with a tentative construction schedule for contractors on-site and immediate written notification of changes.
  4. Notify appropriate sector of the college community of contractor work schedule, location, and special precautions or concerns prior to the start of the project.
  5. Monitor the contractor's work performance and determine if contractor is complying with the contract health and safety plan and pertinent environmental, health, and safety regulations. Any questions regarding compliance with specific regulations should be referred to EHS.
  6. Ensure that all required permits are completed by the contractor and provided for review and signature of an authorized person.
  7. Notify EHS/Risk management immediately of construction accidents and provide EHS with a copy of the contractor's accident reports.
  8. Notify EHS immediately of an OSHA complaint and/or inspection of contractor's jobsite.
Environmental Health and Safety Office

The Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) will conduct a pre-solicitation project review of the contract to ensure that all appropriate health and safety regulations and requirements and pertinent work site hazard information have been incorporated, where necessary. EHS will document review of the plan and will note any areas of special concerns.

The Environmental Health and Safety will review and monitor the contractor's adherence to its written health and safety plan and all applicable environmental, health, and safety requirements.

Contractor

A firm or individual contracted to CSB/OSB is responsible for meeting all contractual agreements and for providing a safe and healthy workplace for its employees.

The contractor will:

  1. Provide for frequent and regular safety inspections of the worksites, materials, and equipment by competent employees.
  2. Notify the Project Officer of construction accidents in a timely manner.
  3. Notify the Project Officer of non-formal OSHA complaint notifications and/or OSHA inspection of the jobsite.

Health and Safety Plan

When required by the contract, the contractor must develop and implement a comprehensive health and safety plan for his or her employees which covers all aspects of onsite construction operations and activities associated with the contract. This plan must comply with all applicable health and safety regulations and any project-specific requirements that CSB/OSB has specified. The contractor must provide the Contracting Officer with a copy of this plan with its bid package.

Acceptance of the contractor's health and safety plan only signifies that the plan generally conforms to the requirements of the contract. It does not relieve the contractor of the responsibility for providing employees with a safe and healthful work environment. This concept must be communicated to the contractor by the Contracting Officer and also incorporated into the contract document.

Preconstruction Meeting

For all projects with written safety plan, representatives of the contractor shall meet with the Contracting Officer, Project Officer, and EHS prior to the start of construction for the purpose of reviewing safety requirements and discussing implementation of all health and safety provisions pertinent to the work under contract.

The EHS representative will review the contractor's site specific safety and health plan with the contractor as well as review all required material safety data sheets (MSDS) submitted for proposed products to be used by the contractor.

CSB/OSB is required by OSHA standards, most notably 29 CFR 1910.1200, Hazard Communication Standard, to provide information to contractors on the hazards present at the work site. This information will be made available to the contractor in the project specifications (pre-bid) as well as at the pre-construction meeting.

The contracting officer will, during the pre-construction meeting, provide the contractor with copies of CSB/OSB written procedures such as lockout/tagout, confined space entry and permit process, and excavation/trench permit process.

Fire Prevention and Protection

The contractor shall prepare and carry out an effective fire protection and prevention plan, including provisions for the fire protection and suppression equipment set forth in this section. This plan shall be made part of the comprehensive safety and health plan submitted by the contractor with its bid package.

  1. Housekeeping. Good housekeeping, with provision for prompt removal and disposal of accumulations of combustible scrap and debris, shall be maintained in all areas of the jobsite. Self-closing metal containers shall be used for disposal of waste saturated with flammable liquids.
  2. Codes and regulations. The contractor shall comply with the requirements published in the current revisions of the National Electrical Code, National Electrical Safety Code, and the National Fire Protection Association standards.
  3. Smoking. Smoking or other sources of ignition shall not be permitted in areas where flammable or explosive materials are stored or are present. All such areas shall be conspicuously posted: NO SMOKING OR OPEN FLAMES. There is a no smoking policy in effect within all CSB/OSB facilities.
  4. Fires. Fires and open flame devices shall not be left unattended unless protected with automatic temperature control and cutoff devices.
  5. Cleaning and degreasing. Gasoline and liquids with a flash point below 100 degrees Fahrenheit shall not be used for cleaning and degreasing.
  6. Building exits. All buildings, shops, and plant facilities in which employees are required to work shall have at least two well-marked and lighted exits. The two exits shall be arranged to minimize the possibility of both exits being rendered inaccessible by one fire or emergency condition.
  7. Fire extinguishers. Distinctly marked and appropriately rated fire extinguishers shall be suitably placed as follows:
    1. One for each 3,000 square feet of building area or major fraction thereof. Travel distance from any point of protected area to nearest extinguisher shall not exceed 100 feet.
    2. One or more on each floor of buildings with at least one located adjacent to each stairway.
    3. At least one located outside but not more than 10 feet from the door opening into any room used for storage of more than 60 gallons of flammable or combustible liquids.
    4. At least one located not less than 25 feet, nor more than 75 feet from any outside flammable or combustible liquid storage area.
    5. At least one within 50 feet of wherever more than 5 gallons of flammable or combustible liquids or 5 pounds of flammable gas is being used.
Noncompliance with Safety and Health Requirements

If during the course of the contract, EHS personnel or other competent CSB/OSB official note any situations of non-compliance with the contractor's safety and health plan or CSB/OSB safety and health requirements, such observation will be brought to the attention of the Project Officer and the Contracting Officer verbally and will immediately follow-up in writing. Failure to correct the violation or continued violations shall be grounds for termination of the contract.

If after notifying the Project Officer and Contracting Officer in writing of deficiencies in any health, safety, or environmental requirements, continued violations of those requirements, or actions that pose an imminent danger are found, an immediate order to stop work will be issued. Should this occur, the the appropriate contracting officials including Project Officer, Contracting Officer, Department Director, and the Chief, Physical Plant, shall be notified immediately. Such violations may result in the default of the contract.

All violations brought to the attention of the contractor, Project Officer, Contracting Officer, Department Director, and the Chief, Physical Plant shall be documented in file.

Safety Training

The contractor must ensure that its employees have completed appropriate health and safety training when required by statute/regulation and CSB/OSB requirements and provide documentation of such training when required by the contract.

Medical Clearance

The contractor must ensure that its employees have appropriate medical clearance when required either by governmental regulations or by CSB/OSB requirements. Copies of medical clearance for contractor personnel are required to be presented as specified by the contract.

Incident Reporting

The Environmental Health and Safety, Department Security will participate with contractors in the investigations of incidents resulting in injury/illness and/or damage or loss of college property and also near misses.

Safety and Personal Protective Equipment

Unless otherwise specified, the contractor is responsible for providing all necessary safety and personal protective equipment needed by its employees. This equipment must meet appropriate OSHA and ANSI approval requirements and be in good working order.

The contractor shall ensure that its employees have received appropriate training on the use and maintenance of safety and personal protective equipment prior to its use. Failure to correctly use appropriate safety equipment is a violation of the contract and may result in default of the contract.

Documentation

The contractor must provide CSB/OSB with documentation of all required training, medical fitness statements, permits, material safety data sheets (MSDS), etc., for his or her employees or operations at the pre-construction meeting.