In 1991, the Industrial Safety Training Council (ISTC) was formed following new process improvement measures set after the Phillips 66 explosion in Pasadena, Texas. At that time, a petrochemical plant was a dangerous place to work. For example, several Southeast Texas plants accumulated 585 OSHA recordable incidents, including 316 lost work days. Clearly, things required change. New processes were developed to make the workplace and workforce safer. Plants re-engineered systems and implemented new administrative controls. The contractor workforce was subjected to new safety standards, including a safety orientation, site-specific training and new recordkeeping. Workforce compliance was required, and safety councils were developed to maximize training investments, deliver a consistent safety message and be a repository of workforce data for legal purposes.
The model worked very well. ISTC and 23 other safety councils around the country implemented varying industrial protection systems designed around a single mission: make plants safer. Over time, incident rates declined as safety standards increased. Tighter compliance rules meant better safety performance. Today, new contractor employees coming through ISTC are subjected to a four-step compliance protocol that includes physical identity verification, background screening, drug testing and hours of in-person safety training or online testing. ISTC works closely with industry partners to develop innovative systems to drive incident rates toward zero, as well as meet new OSHA and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations. New courses are being developed to meet changing standards. ISTC's commitment to industrial compliance has yielded exemplary results, with a 95-percent reduction in reportable incidents since 1991.
To spread the message that the ISTC model works, the safety council embarked on an ambitious project to find ways to deliver consistent training while maintaining high levels of contractor personnel compliance. How could ISTC deliver that same level of compliance to the six people working for a pipeline contractor in the gas fields of Karnes County, Texas? In 2017, ISTC launched its online course delivery platform to a few test clients, offering basic safety, operator qualification training and company site-specific courses. The second part of the compliance formula is to ensure people taking offsite courses also meet the personnel surety requirements. Following the implementation of its learning management system, ISTC's development team went to work building the personnel surety compliance package of identity verification, background screening and drug testing -- the other three components in a high-performing safety model.
Today, plant or pipeline operators and contractors all across the country can electronically access ISTC, complete the personnel surety process, take basic and technical training qualification tests, and receive their field credentials without leaving the field. Contractor employee turnaround is fast and efficient, getting people on the payroll as quickly as possible. Furthermore, owner plants receive the same high levels of compliance as achieved at ISTC's training facilities in Beaumont and Baytown, Texas.
For more information, visit www. istc.net or contact George Perrett, vice president of market development, at (409) 527-3309.