2012 Sustainability Report

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Commitment to Safety

Contractor Safety

Working together, our employees and our contractors are committed to working safely.

When Con Edison enters into a relationship with a service contractor (such as for excavation, construction, or system maintenance), we verify that the vendor has the financial resources and insurance to meet our needs. We then conduct a rigorous environmental, health, and safety review of the vendor to validate its environment, health and safety programs, including a review of injuries and the history of associated OSHA citation activity.

In certain cases, we require contractors to participate in environment, health, and safety training (available through on-line programs). Contractor health and safety plans are reviewed by company subject matter experts before the contractor begins work. Where a contractor has experienced recent accidents or violations on Con Edison assignments, we may require them to hire a third-party monitor to ensure that they are performing work in accordance with applicable environment, health, and safety requirements.

Con Edison’s Purchasing Department issues a quarterly Newsletter for Contractors, covering recent violations, new regulations, as well as best EH&S practices employed by exemplary contractors.

Contractors regularly undergo on-site inspections by trained and experienced Con Edison personnel, whose observations will form the basis of semi-annual report cards. They are also a part of our Job Site Safety Exchange program, opening up the lines of communication on safety topics daily between the vendor and our employees. We maintain a special Action Line for employees to report contractor environmental, health, and safety violations and potentially risky behavior. Purchasing uses a special committee to review contractor violations and assess disciplinary action (e.g. replace site manager or field personnel, undergo special training, or lose eligibility for further contracts for a specified period of time).

These steps help to ensure that contractors work safely on company assignments, and in compliance with applicable environment, health, and safety regulations. Achieving continuing improvement in contractor OSHA Incidence Rates is a key performance measure at Con Edison of New York. In 2012, the company’s contractors collectively had an OSHA Incidence Rate of 1.55, surpassing the goal of 2.21 or lower established for the year.

Similarly, Orange and Rockland follows a defined procedure for ensuring that contractors follow certain safe and environmentally compliant practices. Orange and Rockland began reporting its contractor OSHA Incidence Rate in 2012, and recorded the rate of 2.95 at year's end.