General

What is STOW-TT?

STOW-TT is a joint initiative of the Energy Chamber of Trinidad & Tobago (ECTT), the Point Lisas Energy Association (PLEA) and the Association of Upstream Operators of Trinidad & Tobago (AUOTT), to prequalify contractors in the energy sector, in a consistent manner. This is achieved through the creation of standardized minimum health, safety and environmental (HSE) requirements for prequalifying contractors and independent systems for certifying contracting companies.

What are the benefits of becoming STOW certified?

Among other things, STOW certified companies can benefit from reduced paperwork in bid submissions, improved HSE performance and the ability to meet the HSE requirements of the major oil and gas companies in Trinidad & Tobago, new and repeat business with the major oil and gas companies in Trinidad & Tobago.

Are the STOW-TT minimum HSE requirements voluntary or mandatory?

STOW-TT certification is a minimum requirement for contractors wishing to provide services to STOW Charter signatory operating companies.

What can I do internally at my company to meet the STOW-TT minimum HSE requirements?

Companies can use the STOW-TT Minimum HSE Requirements Contractor Guidance Manual, the STOW-TT Administration Manual and the Sample STOW HSE Manual to guide the implementation of the STOW-TT minimum HSE requirements. The STOW-TT Minimum HSE Requirements Contractor Guidance Manual provides detailed information on the STOW-TT certification tier system. The Sample STOW-TT HSE Manual provides examples and templates that contractors can tailor to suit the needs of their operations.

Can I become STOW-TT certified if I only just started my company?

Companies must have a robust HSE management system that adequately addresses the risks associated with their intended operations. Where a company has just started and there is limited evidence of implementation, once they obtain the minimum score of 75% in each STOW element and 70% in the Physical Conditions Tour, they will be awarded certification for 1 year in the first instance and they will be required to undergo a surveillance audit 6 months into their certification period.

Can a company select an Assessor of choice to conduct the assessment for STOW-TT certification?

No. The STOW-TT Project Office assigns an Assessor to conduct the assessment. Companies may however, select an Assessor of choice to advise on implementation of the STOW-TT requirements or whether the company is ready for STOW-TT assessment.

What is the STOW-TT certification tier system?

Contractors servicing the energy industry do not all bring the same level of risk to the overall operations of the major oil and gas companies. As a consequence, the STOW-TT minimum HSE requirements were developed on a tired basis and companies are certified according to the level of risk (low risk or high risk) associated with the services provided.

How do I know which level of certification I should request for my company?

Companies are expected to be certified at the level of risk which corresponds to the type of services offered to the energy industry. Ultimately it is the oil and gas operating company that determines the level of risk that a contractor brings to their operations. Therefore, contractors can also check their clients to find out if they are listed a low or high risk company.

How long is the STOW-TT certification valid for?

The period of certification depends on the scores attained at the end of the certification audit. Companies must attain a score of 75% in each element plus a minimum of 70% in the physical conditions tour to be certified and certification will be for 1 year. if 85% or more is attained in each element plus a minimum of 80% in the physical conditions tour and one full cycle of audits on the company’s HSE management system has been completed, the company will be certified for 2 years.

What do I get if my company is compliant to the STOW-TT minimum HSE Requirements?

If the STOW Implementation Board grants certification, you will receive a STOW-TT certificate, a copy of which you can include in bid documents instead of huge amounts of HSE documentation.

If I apply for the STOW-TT certification audit, how long is the application valid for?

The application for the STOW-TT audit is valid for 2 months from the date of application. Once the application has expired, the company must re-apply for the audit and pay the application fees again.

How does the STOW-TT certification differ from the Point Lisas Energy Association (PLEA) contractor Pass Card System?

For STOW-TT, the company is certified which for the PLEA Contractor Pass Card System, the individual is certified. STOW-TT certification serves as the minimum assurance that a contracting company has acceptable HSE management systems in place and in practice to be prequalified to work on PLEA and AUOTT member companies’ sites. The PLEA Pass Card System serves as the minimum assurance that only suitably trained individuals are allowed to work on all member company facilities.

Will I be refunded if my audit takes less days that the estimate?

Yes. The Energy Chamber will only charge for the time taken to conduct the audit (including time to write the report). If the time taken is less than the estimate, the Energy Chamber will refund the company e.g. of the company pays for a 5 day audit and the audit takes 4 days, the Energy Chamber will refund the company the additional day charged.

STOW Audit

How Long does it take for an Assessor to be assigned to conduct an audit after the application has been submitted?

An Assessor will be assigned within 48 hours after receipt of the signed contract and payment of fees. the Assessor in turn has 48 hours to accept the audit. The Assessor will contact the auditee and both parties will discuss the audit schedule etc.

How will the audit be conducted?

The Assessor will email the audit plan to the company prior to the commencement of the audit. a hybrid approach will be used for STOW audits. The opening and closing meetings as well as the documentation review will be conducted remotely and the Assessor will advise the company of the platform to be used to conduct these aspects of the audit beforehand. Assessors will visit companies’ sites to conduct interviews and the Physical Conditions Tour.

Can I send my documents to the Assessor’s personal email?

No. All documents for the STOW-TT audit must be uploaded on the STOW-TT database and should not be emailed to the Assessor.

How may days will my audit take?

The length of an audit depends on the number of employees in a company, the number of services to be assessed for compliance to the STOW-TT HSE requirements and the number of sites to be assessed. Click here for the guidance to determine the number of audit days.

Once the audit is completed, how long does it take to obtain a decision on certification?

Companies can expect to receive a decision on certification within 6 weeks of having the close out meeting. Assessors are required to submit the STOW-TT audit report to the STOW Project Office within 7 working days of having the close out meeting. The report is then reviewed by the STOW Technical Committee and the STOW Implementation Board prior to a decision on certification.

Will my company be required to undergo a surveillance audit?

Surveillance audits will be conducted as follows:

• at the six-month interval from the date of certification for companies who were awarded certification for one (1) year and

• at the one-year interval from the date of certification for companies who were awarded certification for two (2) years.

The following criteria will be used to select companies for surveillance audits:

• High risk companies with ≥ 10 non-conformances.

• Non-closure of legislative non-conformances. Repeated legislative non-conformances.

• complaints received from client companies on the HSE performance of a company.

• Incidents in the public domain which are brought to the attention of the STOW-TT Implementation Board.

• Random selection by the STOW Project Office to ensure that companies not captured by the aforementioned criteria are also considered for surveillance audits.

What is the duration of surveillance audits?

The duration of the surveillance audit is dependent upon the number of non-conformances identified at the last STOW certification audit as follows:

No. of Non-Conformances Surveillance Audit Duration (no. of days)

≥ 10 1

11-25 1.5

26-40 2

> 40 2.5

STOW-TT Independent Assessors

What does an Independent Assessor do?

An Independent Assessor assesses companies for conformance to the STOW-TT Minimum HSE Requirements. They are also allowed to advise companies on implementing the STOW-TT Minimum HSE Requirements. However, they are not allowed to conduct that company’s STOW certification audit.

Must I use and Independent Assessor to implement the STOW-TT minimum HSE requirements in my company?

No. Companies with in-house expertise can implement the STOW-TT minimum HSE requirements using the STOW-TT Minimum HSE Requirements Contractor Guidance Manual and the STOW-TT Administration Manual. Companies can also use any other consultant with the required competence to assist them. However, an Independent Assessor must assess the company for certification.

What is a difference between an Independent Assessor and a Senior Independent Assessor?

The Independent Assessor is only authorized to assess companies at the lowest level (low risk) for certification, while the Senior Independent Assessor is permitted to assess companies at all levels (low and high risk) for certification.

What is the criteria to become a STOW-TT Assessor?

Click here for more information on the Criteria to Become a STOW-TT Assessor