Working in the Sarnia Refining & Petrochemical Sectors

Training & Orientation

Basic Safety Orientation 

All members of the Sarnia-Lambton Industrial Educational Cooperative require construction workers to hold up-to-date training records of the IEC Basic Safety Orientation Plus (BSO) or Basic Safety Recertification (BSR) as a prerequisite for access to their respective worksites.

Trade Specific Training

Workers who are part of a Building Trade must also complete trade-specific onboarding and training as required through their respective Hall/Lodge.

Contractor Training

After hire, Contractors (as Employers) are required to evaluate worker training and skills profiles so each worker can be assigned tasks that they are qualified to safely perform. Contractors also provide the necessary company-specific training required to meet the expectations of their safety program and their legal obligation as an employer. 

Site-Specific Training

As contractors assign workers to our member worksites, site-specific orientation and training is scheduled and provided to ensure workers are aware of the site layout, emergency station locations, and site-specific rules that go beyond the generic BSO training received at the IEC.

Safe Work Planning & Execution

All work in Sarnia-Lambton is planned and scheduled to the appropriate degree of rigour by the site and contractor. Work planning processes include assessments of risk and establishing controls based on site standards, contractor standards, and applicable law. 

Job Safety Analysis

In some cases, a defined scope of work may be deemed to be relatively high risk and trigger the development of a Job Safety Analysis (JSA). A JSA is a step-by-step breakdown of the job, identification of hazards for each step, and a listing of associated controls. If a JSA is required, no worker can begin work on that job until they have read and formally acknowledged understanding of the JSA.

Safe Work Permit

Almost all work completed at or around a petrochemical site in Sarnia-Lambton requires a Safe Work Permit. Safe Work Permits are issued by someone deemed competent by the site to assess and control risks posed to workers and crews in the area where work is planned. Permit Issuers document and review the details of the safe work permit with the Permit Receiver who, in turn, is responsible for reviewing all instructions with every worker on that job who will then review and sign onto the permit.

Task Analysis Safety Card

At the beginning of each workday, workers sit with their full work crew to discuss the weather forecast, confirm their fitness for work, discuss successes and learnings from the day prior, and look ahead to upcoming tasks. Much of this discussion is focused on the coordination of work and communication. After this toolbox talk, work crews enter the field and then meet again as smaller teams at their work areas to jointly complete a Task Analysis Safety Card (TASC). This allows workers of all levels of experience to connect with their peers on the jobsite and help each other get clear on procedure, hazards, and controls that are specific to that location, that day, that point of the job, and that specific work crew. TASC cards are regularly updated by work crews and reviewed throughout the day by foremen, contractor management, and/or site representatives.

Last Minute Risk Assessment 

Finally, immediately before beginning any task at any worksite, all workers are required to pause, reflect, and verify that the hazards around them are controlled and the work they are about to begin will not hurt themselves or others around them. If any worker is unsure about a task or observes any act or condition that they perceive to be unsafe, that worker must stop and engage with their supervisor. Learnings from this are documented and shared to prevent reoccurrence and promote continuous improvement. No work begins unless every worker is comfortable and confident in their respective work assignments.