Workplace Safety & Health Program for Contractors

Contractor safety – COVID-19

It is expected that contractors working for the City assess the risk associated with COVID-19 and implement appropriate control measures to ensure the work they do is safe. Control measures must be documented in safe work plans as required by the City’s Contractor Safety Program.

Please see below for information to assist contractors when incorporating COVID-19 precautions in their SAFE Work Plans:

► Updates to the Workplace Safety & Health Program Documents

Manitoba's Workplace Safety and Health Act requires employers to develop workplace safety and health criteria to evaluate, select and monitor contractors that are involved in work at the workplace. To meet this requirement, the City of Winnipeg has a process applicable to contractors that perform work for the City in the following circumstances:

construction contracts with an estimated cost greater than $100,000 or considered to have high safety risk by the City and
non-construction contracts considered to have high safety risk by the City.

Process used to evaluate, select and monitor contractors
This document outlines the process used to evaluate, select and monitor contractors working for the City of Winnipeg. It can be used to communicate contractor safety requirements and contains tools and links to additional resources.

Contractor Safety Procedures

Contractor Safety & Health Program Evaluations

The City of Winnipeg requires bidders on affected Bid Opportunities, to submit, within 5 business days of a request by the City, proof of an "acceptable" safety and health program. Bidders who do not provide proof will not be awarded the Contract.

Proof is considered to be:

written confirmation of a safety and health certification meeting SAFE Work Manitoba's SAFE Work Certified Standard (COR™ /SECOR™) or
written evaluation and verification by an independent workplace safety and health consultant

"Acceptable" means that the program meets or exceeds the elements required of a safety program as outlined in Section 7.4(5) of the Workplace Safety and Health Act.

A contractor can submit proof to the City prior to any bid submission. SAFE Work Certified contractors (COR™ /SECOR™) are considered by the City to be a Workplace Safety & Health Program Pre-Qualified Contractor as long as their certification remains in good standing. Contractors that have been found to have an acceptable safety and health program by an independent workplace safety and health consultant are considered by the City to be a Workplace Safety & Health Program Pre-Qualified Contractor for three years from the date of the evaluation of their program.

Evaluate a contractor's Workplace Safety & Health Program

Contractor Safety & Health Program Evaluation Document

Proof of Acceptable Safety & Health Programs

Bidders/Contractors can meet the requirement for independent evaluation of their safety and health program by:

- providing documentation of a safety and health certification meeting Safe Work Manitoba’s SAFE Work Certified standard (e.g. COR™/SECOR™) program;

SAFE Work Certified companies must submit a copy of their certificate along with the most recent letter of good standing to their assigned Contract Administrator or if a contract administrator has not yet been assigned, to the City contact person listed below.) or

- providing written confirmation from an independent workplace safety and health consultant satisfactory to the City.

(The company is to provide a copy of a letter signed by their independent workplace safety and health consultant that includes a statement that their program meets the criteria as found in the Contractor Safety & Health Program Evaluation Document. The letter is to be sent to their assigned Contract Administrator or if a contract administrator has not yet been assigned, to the City contact person listed below.)

SAFE Work Certified

SAFE Work Certified is a standard for safety and health certification in Manitoba. The SAFE Work Certified program is overseen by SAFE Work Manitoba and is delivered through a network of industry-based safety and health programs (IBSP) and/or associations, which have been approved by SAFE Work Manitoba as Certifying Partners (CPs).

Contractors achieve safety and health certification working with their Certifying Partner and their workers to attend safety training, develop safety and health programs, and complete an audit to verify that they have met the applicable safety and health requirements of the program. The results of the audit determine whether the contractor receives certification.

The Manitoba Certificate of Recognition Program (COR™/SECOR™) meets the SAFE Work Certified standard. Contractors can achieve (COR™/SECOR™) by completing courses administered by either the Construction Safety Association of Manitoba (CSAM) or the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association (MHCA). As safety requirements can vary from province to province, the City of Winnipeg will only accept COR™/SECOR™ that is issued by CSAM or MHCA. Contractor that have obtained out of province COR™ or SECOR™ can apply to CSAM or MHCA for Manitoba COR™/ SECOR™ equivalency. The City of Winnipeg will accept equivalency granted by CSAM or MHCA.

Independent Safety and Health Program Review

Bidders/Contractors can meet the requirement for independent verification without obtaining Safe Work Certification by providing written confirmation from an independent workplace safety and health consultant satisfactory to the City. The safety and health program review is conducted using a standardized evaluation template provided by the City to ensure consistency. The template called the Contractor Safety & Health Program Evaluation Document is based on the requirements of Manitoba's Workplace Safety and Health Act and Regulation.

The completed evaluation document becomes the property of the contractor. The City requires a signed, dated letter from the independent workplace safety and health consultant which includes;

The Contractor's Legal name, e.g., 45693938 Manitoba Limited,
The Contractor's business/operating name (if different from the legal name) e.g., Bob's Expert Contracting;
The date(s) of the evaluation; and
A statement indicating whether or not the Contractor's safety and health program meets the City's criteria for an acceptable program as found in the Evaluation Document. e.g., 45693938 Manitoba Limited's safety management system, meets the City of Winnipeg's criteria for an acceptable program as found in the City of Winnipeg Contractor Safety Program Evaluation Document.

Independent workplace safety and health consultants satisfactory to the City include persons who:

have been approved to conduct independent audits for safety and health certification programs meeting SAFE Work Manitoba's SAFE Work Certified Standard (e.g., COR™/SECOR™); or
hold professional designations such as Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) or equivalent.

Safe Work Plans

A Safe Work Plan identifies the hazards associated with the specific tasks of the contract work and details the steps the contractor will take to control each hazard. After the City contract is awarded, the pre-qualified contractor may be required to submit a contract specific Safe Work Plan to the City before the work can begin.

The City will monitor the contractor's safety performance during the course of the work using the Safe Work Plan that was prepared by the contractor. Should safety and health concerns arise as a result of the contractor's work activities, the contractor is responsible to address the concerns to the satisfaction of the City.

In the event of unsatisfactory safety performance by the contractor, the City may terminate the contract and remove the contractor's designation as a Workplace Safety & Health Program Pre-Qualified Contractor. In addition, the eligibility of the contractor to perform future work for the City may be impacted.

To ensure the Safe Work Plan includes consistent safety and health information, the contractor may be required to use the City's Safe Work Plan Document.

Template for documenting a contractor's Safe Work Plan.

Safe Work Plan

Safe Work Certified: Certifying Partners

Certifying partners (CPs) work closely with organizations to guide and support them through the SAFE Work Certified process. Current certifying partners include:

Agriculture

Manitoba Farm Safety

Construction

Contact Information

A. Fredrick Carlson, CRSP, Corporate Safety Officer;

180 King Street - 5th Floor, Winnipeg, MB R3B 3G8
Telephone number: 204-986-3511
Email Inquiries: fcarlson@winnipeg.ca

Last update: December 19, 2023

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