Construction Subcontractor On-Site Sediment & Erosion Control Training

This complimentary service is being provided by the City of Oak Ridge Healthy Waters Program to assist contractors and subcontractors in complying with Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control regulations. To schedule a training event, please contact us here.

Target Audience

Subcontractors (e.g. excavators, painters, carpenters, landscapers, sheetrockers, electricians, plumbers, stone/brick masons, roofers) who do not correctly install and maintain sediment and erosion controls.

Underlying Premise

Silt fences and inlet protectors are often damaged by subcontractors who are not fully aware of their function by running over them with their vehicles or dismantling them. This releases the sediment and water build-up behind them. Tracking dirt off-site often goes unnoticed due to a lack of awareness of erosion prevention and sediment control (EP and SC) practices.

Purpose

To minimize damage to EP and SC practices by subcontractors and involve them in reporting any observed on-site sediment and erosion control issues to management.

Primary Messages Conveyed

Purpose of sediment and erosion control practices
Compliance mandate by the state and local regulations that extend to subcontractors
Supervisor to notify if EP and SC practices are in need of repair or replacement

Approach

Under the developer/contractor's supervision, work with the site manager to schedule sessions
Provide site manager with template flyers and other resources for advertising
Set up in a covered area if available (e.g. garage of a partially finished house)
- Registration table (Sign-in for documentation of participation and introduction to session)
- Food tables (typically donuts, coffee, and juice)
- Educational materials:
  - Four educational posters displayed on easels
  - Display of erosion supply products
Conduct sessions (15 to 20 minutes per group of 30)
- Sign in and get coffee/donuts
- Attendees move through educational boards - self-paced, bilingual, and primarily pictorial
- Educators gather small groups to talk about the importance of EP and SC and answer questions
- Closing - Attendees are handed oil rags and asked a follow-up question like "Of the practices that you just learned, which do they most often see in noncompliance?"
- Optional - The developer/contractor may want as a component of the "closing" to distribute small cards to identify who to call regarding any EP and SC problems
Place signs on silt fences and inlet protectors that remind subcontractors of their functions