ACP Newsletter - ACPnewsletterJUL06 Important Changes coming to

							    ACPnewsletterJUL06



                                    ACP CONTRACTOR NEWSLETTER
    Important Changes coming to ACP!                           2. 12 Month Rolling Window will be reduced to
                                                                  a 6 Month Rolling Window:
As you know, the ACP Program is continually
evolving.    Additions/alterations/changes are                 •   Reducing the 12 month rolling window to 6 months,
                                                                   will remove those Contractors from the >4% listing
constantly considered, in an effort to make the                    whose defect ratio in the past six months has been
Program stronger and better for all its users –                    <4%.
the Contractors, the Inspectors, and the                       •   This change will enable the ACP Office to better
Business.                                                          assess those Contractors doing non-code compliant
                                                                   work over an extended period of time
The latest changes to ACP – there are two - will affect
the 4% defect ratio:                                           Advantages to introducing these changes to ACP:

1. Written “verbal” Warnings:                                  •   Inspectors will be directed to issue an “ACP Warning”
                                                                   rather than giving “verbal” advise. This ensures all
                                                                   defects are recorded
•    Today, Contractors are frequently issued “verbal”
     warnings for minor code infractions.         Once the     •   Inspectors will continue to have the option of issuing
     Inspector “verbally” advises the Contractor on                the defect as an “ACP Warning” or as a technical
     numerous occasions, he/she will typically issue the           defect from the applicable section of the Code –
     defect as a technical code violation and once he/she          his/her selection at the time of issuance will
     does this, the defect counts in the 4% defect ratio           determine if the defect counts in the 4% calculation,
                                                                   or not
•    The Inspector will now be given the option of
     recording these minor code violations, without them       •   Contractors will benefit from this separation,
     counting in the 4% defect ratio.                              providing they discontinue being issued these types
                                                                   of defects. Note: if the Inspector selects to issue as
•    Should the Inspector select to issue a “verbal” defect,
                                                                   technical, the Contractor’s 4% ratio will reflect this.
     the code violation will be referred to as a “Warning”
                                                                   Territory General Managers will warn/suspend on the
     once it enters our system.
                                                                   strength of the new information he now has available
•    The Inspector, at any time, can select to issue a
                                                                   to him
     “Warning” that does not count in the 4% defect ratio,
     or a technical defect that does count
                                                               These changes will be in effect in early Fall 2006. More
•    All “Warnings” will generate correspondence to the        information will be sent to ACP Contractors via this
     Contractor advising of the code violation                 Newsletter, as the implementation date draws near. If
•    The number of “Warnings” issued to Contractors will       you have any questions, please contact the ACP Office.
     be tracked and Contractors can be
     warned/suspended for receiving these defects on a
     continuous basis. A decision with regards to
     applying additional penalties will be considered later.
           Notification Information                                           Verbal Emergency Connections
In past issues of the ACP Contractor Newsletter, we have                 Pole Line and Sub-Station Work: In the February 06
advised Contractors that it is imperative that “complete                 ACP Contractor Newsletter, we reminded everyone that if
and accurate” information be supplied on the application                 you were part of the After Hours Emergency Registry for
for inspection, at the time of filing.                                   pole line and/or substation work, you now had to
                                                                         participate in ACP to continue to receive a verbal
The “complete and accurate” information we require is:                   connection in an emergency situation. A letter was sent
                                                                         in early May letting potential pole line and sub-station
•   Complete and Accurate Information – this consists of                 contractors know that the deadline to continue to receive
    driving directions and/or the closest major intersection.            a verbal connection would end on June 30th, 2006.
    This information assists in correctly identifying the
    Inspector and Utility and assists the Inspector in finding the
                                                                         Please note: After June 30th, 2006, Inspectors will no
    site quickly and efficiently.
•   Site Contact Name and Phone Number – we are not
                                                                         longer extend this privilege to non-ACP Contractors or
    looking for contact name and phone number of the                     ACP Contractors not belonging to the correct vertical, for
    Contractor – but site contact name and phone number.                 the emergency connection they are applying for.
    This enables us to attempt to make access arrangements
    without involving the Contractor.                                    Please contact the ACP Office today to apply for Pole
•   Description of Work: this is especially important on Small           Line or Sub Station membership, if you require
    Job Applications and is needed so the Inspector knows                emergency connection status.
    beforehand what he is going to inspect, when he arrives on
    site.
•   Amperage: Provide the amperage when doing any type of                     Contractor Licensing Application
    service work, especially service upgrades/alterations.                       Forms are Now Available
Therefore:                                                               Please be advised that the application forms for the
                                                                         Electrical Contractors Licence, Provisional Electrical
•   When you call in your application – be sure to have this
                                                                         Contractor Licence and the Master Electrician Licence
    information readily available
                                                                         can now be downloaded from the ESA/ECRA website at
•   When you fax in or On-Line your application – be sure to
    include this information
                                                                         www.esaecra.info or by calling the Customer Service
                                                                         Centre at 1-877-esa-safe (1-877-372-7233) for a copy of
                                                                         the forms.
NOTE: Applications without this information will NOT be
processed and will be returned to you                                    If you have any questions regarding any of the
                                                                         application forms please contact one of the Licensing
         Primary Line Connections                                        Representatives at the Customer Service for assistance.

When you call in to the CSC for a preauthorization of                    Contractor Licensing will be open for business on July 4,
your service, please let them know if primary line work                  2006 and the Customer Service Centre will begin
has been done and that you require a primary line                        processing application forms beginning July 4, 2006.
connection as well. Only those contractors who are
members of the Pole Line ACP vertical will be permitted
to receive a primary line preauthorization.




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                                Technical Corner
         Ted Olechna, Provincial Code Engineer, Electrical Safety Authority


              “Frequently Asked Questions” for Contractors

We are pleased to introduce our contractor “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQs)
knowledgebase, which is posted on our website under “Technical FAQs” at
www.esasafe.com. This new tool is the expansion of our FAQs search engine
launched in 2004, which provides general information to questions about the Ontario
Electrical Safety Code.

This expanded contractor section is called “Ontario Electrical Safety Code – 2002”.
The information set-up in this knowledgebase follows sections of the Code, and is
organized by the related Rule number and subject description. The topics in the
new section are taken from ESA’s technical publications, articles published in
Dialogue and Electrical Business, HVAC industry Q&A, and questions asked by
inspectors at their technical training. The knowledgebase will grow as contractors
using the “Ask a Question” function of the FAQs tool submit new questions.

The knowledgebase offers other useful functions beneficial for contractors including
the ability to track the status of submitted questions, and the option to receive notice
if the answer to a particular question is changed in the future.

The new section will go live July 11, 2006, and is accessible by password. ESA
inspectors and current subscribers to ESA Bulletins will be provided with a user
profile by ESA. There are no fees for this service; it is one of the benefits of
subscribing to the Bulletins.




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