Work procedures

Emergency response guidance is provided to contractors in the Health and Safety Requirements for Transpower Work (TP.HSW 01.02).

A generic emergency response flip-chart and site register has been prepared and issued for use to all Transpower facilities. Contractors need to keep these documents up to date to ensure that the information they contain is correct and that material safety data sheets and emergency response plans are suitable for hazardous substances held and used on site.

Downloads

• NS3 Emergency Contact Sheets.docx [ docx 235.71 KB ]
• NS8 South Emergency Contact Sheets.doc [ doc 262.5 KB ]
• SS2 Emergency Contact List - Omaka Training.doc [ doc 64 KB ]
• SS2_Emergency_Contact_Sheets - Nelson.doc [ doc 119 KB ]
• SS2_Emergency_Contact_Sheets - West Coast.doc [ doc 195 KB ]
• SS3_Emergency_Contact_Sheets - Balclutha.docx [ docx 167.97 KB ]
• SS3_Emergency_Contact_Sheets - Balclutha.docx [ docx 167.97 KB ]
• NS4-emergency-contact-sheets-22-08-05.doc [ doc 432 KB ]
• NS4-emergency-contact-sheets-22-08-05.doc [ doc 432 KB ]

Transpower maintains risk registers for safety and health risks/hazards associated with its assets. The process Transpower follows for assessing risks/hazards is provided in Transpower Standard Safety and Health Risk/Hazard Management (TP.AG.47.03).

As part of the risk/hazard management process, Transpower uses Job Safety Analyses*, which are an internationally recognised risk evaluation methodology, in order to evaluate the risk associated with its activities or equipment as listed below: 

* A Job Safety Analysis (JSA) is similar to a Safe Activity Worksheet (SAW) or Job Hazard Analysis (JHA).

The JSA examples listed below have been developed by Transpower for various operational tasks. They are intended to be an informative prompt for people to read before undertaking a task to assist in job planning, hazard identification and hazard management. If using one of these JSAs, it should be tailored to suit your own specific task requirements or used as a 'how to' guide when completing a new job safety analysis. 

Safety, health and environmental legal compliance processes are described in Transpower's Standard Safety, Health & Environmental Regulatory Compliance (TP.AG.47.06). 

The Standard references a SHE Legal Register * (see below) that contains pertinent references and hyperlinks to New Zealand safety, health and environmental legislation, regulations, approved codes of practice, guidelines and advisory standards.

*The SHE Legal Register is intended to be advisory only. Errors or omissions in the SHE Legal Register will not absolve a contractor, of the employees of contractors from any obligations and responsibilities at law.

Documentation

SHE Legal Register (2008) [ xls 243 KB ]

A permit must be obtained before digging of any kind may start on our sites.

Learn more about the Permit to Dig process through the FAQs below, and through the presentation which may be downloaded here.

Permit to Dig Slide Pack [ pdf 1.45 MB ]

FAQs

Transpower has received a number of common questions from Service Providers regarding its new ‘Permit to Dig’ process.

Please see our responses to these below:

1. Is the Station’s Service Provider issuing the Permit now liable if a cable or service is damaged?

As long as a Service Provider (SP) has followed the Service Advisory requirements and the Standard Maintenance Procedures Transpower will not hold the SP liable for damage caused by the applicant’s works.

2. Do the Service Advisory and Standard Maintenance Procedures (SMPs) apply to customers’ assets in Transpower controlled areas?

Transpower has an obligation to ensure that customers’ assets in Transpower controlled areas are not damaged by any works, and so these should be treated no differently to Transpower assets. The SP should therefore apply the Service Advisory requirements and SMPs in exactly the same way and subsequent liability is the same as for answer 1 above. Note:  If asset records are found to be inaccurate this should be escalated to Transpower as soon as it is discovered.

3. Does the SP ‘standover’ assume safety responsibilities for excavation works?

No. The SMPs clearly outline the purpose of the standover role in multiple sections. For example:

The person appointed for the standover duty is Transpower’s on site representative to ensure the conditions of the Permit to Dig are being complied with. The person conducting the standover is not in charge of the work site. The standover does not accept responsibility for the site safety.  We are there to make sure the contractor meets our client’s network requirements.

4. Why is the consultation period so short?

Having reviewed current work practices, Transpower is not satisfied that excavation workers are sufficiently informed to avoid damaging underground services. Transpower’s commitment to safety is the reason it wants to use its trusted SPs to take control of underground service identification as quickly as possible to address this concern.

5. Do we need the new Permit to be issued on the 1st July?

Any works currently underway should be covered by an existing permit to dig (or an equivalent control system) as instructed in the 27th April Safety Alert. If no control is in place then excavation should stop immediately and the new Permit and SMPs should be followed.

• Specific correspondence and a slide pack (download the slide pack here [ pdf 1.45 MB ]) have been sent to our Service Provider Relationship managers. This slide pack has also been made available to all TP Service Delivery Managers and Project Managers to brief their specific Contract Managers. Transpower urges its SPs to brief their employees with this pack as soon as possible. 

6. What do we do if it is a Customer or Third Party requesting a Permit to Dig?

Transpower will be pre-approving all of these works, via its Access and Occupation change management process. If a Transpower approval is not included in the application, this should be immediately escalated to the Transpower Service Delivery Manager (SDM), to resolve with the customer. Transpower may include a project/cost code with these approvals in future, but this is still being decided.

7. What if SPs do not have competent resources to deliver this work?

Transpower encourages its SPs to develop this competency. In the long term Grid Skills and SPs will be engaged to include this in the Stations Competency Framework requirements. In the short term it is acceptable for SPs to engage Service Location specialists to undertake this work on their behalf, but it is Transpower’s preference that it is the Station Maintainer who issues the permit.

8. How has this been communicated to all the stakeholders who will require a Permit to Dig?

The 14th June Safety Alert has been communicated to every SP, every customer and the EEA. The ‘beforeUdig’ system is being modified to respond to any dig request that covers Transpower controlled property.

9. For driving earth stakes into a private property paddock, what is the expectation?

Refer to Section 5 in the Service Advisory regarding reasonable steps that need to be taken. Key points are:

Before carrying out the work, please submit a beforeUdig enquiry, to check for any buried Wastewater, gas, water pipe, power cables running across the private property’s paddock. If the beforeUdig returns with no underground services and have spoken to the landowner, then you will have to assess the risk of hitting a known underground service and the practicality of doing location/pothole before carrying out the work.

Note: If concerned with unsafe acts that present an imminent danger to people and equipment, Transpower authorises the standover to issue a stop work instruction on its behalf.

10. Who Pays For These Services?

Transpower will pay the SP directly for these services via a Maximo Work Order (WO). The coding of the WO should be allocated based on who is applying for the permit, and either a project code or a parent WO should be provided to the SP to allow them to raise the correct WO.

11. For project investigation & conceptual design work,  activity such as geotechnical bore holes can have a short lead time once the job is awarded. This can conflict with the 10–12 weeks lead time for the permit-to-dig process.  What is the expectation for designers and crew performing ground disturbance activity?

A designer tendering for geotechnical bore hole work must submit a ‘beforeUdig’ enquiry under the category ’design‘ and be prepared to contact the station service provider before the job is awarded. Once the job is awarded, the designer must:

get in touch with station service provider as soon as possible; carry out a site meeting with the station service provider and; obtain an approved permit-to-dig before carrying out the ground disturbance activity.