Explanation
BACKGROUND: The Director of Human Resources seeks the authority to modify and increase the contract currently in effect with Safex, Inc. for occupational safety and health and industrial hygiene related activities. The City entered into the original contract effective March 1, 2020 (Ord. 0266-2020), and renewed the contract earlier this year (Ord. 0112-2023).
The Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC) encourages employers to enhance occupational safety and health programs and initiatives. The initial legislation as well as this ordinance enables the city to do so and reflect the City’s ongoing effort to promote workplace safety and efficient claims management. This contract allows the city to provide industrial hygiene and occupational safety services, as required by state and federal law. Continuing the existing contractual relationship with Safex Inc. enables the administration to achieve its objective of improving the level of workplace safety and decreasing the risk of exposure to injury. This female owned business has helped the city in all aspects of industrial hygiene and occupational safety tasks in an efficient and cost effective manner.
Costs initially legislated, per Ordinance 0112-2023, totaled $100,000.00. This modification provides for an additional $25,000.00 for expenses related specifically to hazardous waste training, quantitative exposure assessments, and evaluation of city buildings and work place settings for bio-hazard concerns. At the time the original contract was legislated, the Occupational Safety team had a full slate of projects to complete in 2023 and was unaware that hazardous waste mitigation and related projects would be needed in several City buildings in 2023. The cost of the projects being completed using these funds was determined based on the rate currently effective in the original contract.
This legislation serves to increase the maximum obligation liability by $25,000.00, bringing the total contract obliga...
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