In 2003/04 the STCIC received complaints from member companies in the energy service sector about the high costs and uncertainty they face in meeting the range of health, safety and environment (HSE) requirements among the major oil and gas operating companies. At about the same time, the downstream companies of the Point Lisas Energy Association (PLEA) were concerned about contractor HSE performance on the Point Lisas estate and identified the need for consensus on the HSE requirements to pre-qualify contract workers.
In 2004 PLEA began the design of an HSE Contractor Management System for contract workers to be adopted by all member companies, now referred to as the Passport System. The STCIC recognized that a similar approach would address the problem of its members however the focus would be on the HSE Management system of the company rather than individual workers targeted under the PLEA initiative.
In 2005, the STCIC developed the STOW-TT project proposal and approached the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) for funding. Initially the STCIC received funds to conduct a mini project to set the parameters and get consensus among stakeholders for the STOW-TT project. The mini project involved meeting stakeholders separately and hosting a final workshop for all stakeholders to get consensus on the way forward. The process resulted in agreement among stakeholders on the following guiding principles for STOW-TT:
• The HSE pre-qualification requirements developed under the project must support business development
• The HSE requirements compliance system must be recognized as having integrity
• The HSE pre-qualification requirements must support the legislative direction of Trinidad & Tobago
• There must be an effective implementation process
• All key players must be supportive and cooperative
In April 2006, the STCIC signed an agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) to implement the three (3) year project entitled “Improving Health, Safety and environment Requirements among smaller enterprises in the energy sector”, using grant funds from the IADB’s Multilateral Investment Fund. The project is commonly referred to as Safe TO Work in Trinidad & Tobago (STOW-TT). The goal of the project is to increase market opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Trinidad & Tobago, especially in the energy sector. The purpose of the project is to develop and promote the widespread use of internationally acceptable industry-wide health, safety amd environmental requirements and performance among SMEs.
