Safety
ACE EPIC Members are obligated to be knowledgeable about the safety standards applicable to their work area or job, and, just as important, to abide by those standards.
- Safe work practices are a condition of every member’s term of service.
- ACE staff are responsible for supporting any incident that happens in the field and available to provide support through claims, injuries, and recovery.
- Members and partners are responsible for developing their own emergency response plan relevant to their assignments.
- ACE staff cannot provide medical care remotely and will have limited knowledge of the local context in which members are serving.
- Partners and members are responsible for keeping an open dialog with their ACE point of contact before, during, and after any level of incident.
Incident Reports
For any near miss, non-medical, medical or vehicle incidents, an incident report form (IRF) should be filled out.
ACE members are provided an IRF and safety resources before beginning their terms, Members and partners are encouraged to communicate to their ACE primary contact anytime an event that causes physical, mental, or emotional harm occurs.
ACE IRF’s should be submitted via the jotform the day-of or as soon as possible. Even if an injury doesn’t seem serious, it may become worse.
Both ACE and non-ACE (agency/partner) vehicle incidents require an ACE IRF.
Workers' Compensation
ACE members are provided an IRF and safety resources before beginning their terms, Members and partners are encouraged to communicate to their ACE primary contact anytime an event that causes physical, mental, or emotional harm occurs.
ACE IRF’s should be submitted via the jotform the day-of or as soon as possible. Even if an injury doesn’t seem serious, it may become worse.
Both ACE and non-ACE (agency/partner) vehicle incidents require an ACE IRF.
Workers' Compensation
- In order to properly submit and qualify for worker’s comp, timely IRF’s need to be filled out.
- All ACE Members are covered by Workers’ Compensation Insurance while performing service duties. There are limitations to Workers' Compensation coverage; when in doubt, please reach out to ACE for clarification.
- Members are not covered by Workers’ Compensation while on "off" time.
- ACE requires the submission of any paperwork following a work related injury that details job restrictions and/or return to work status.
Driving/Vehicle Information
Communicating a Driving Requirement to ACE
ACE needs to be informed in advance if a Member will need to drive during their term of service. If you anticipate any driving being a part of the Member’s position duties, it is best to communicate this as the budget, agreement and position description are being developed. This will allow us to ensure there is appropriate funding for any driving resources ACE might need to provide, and that the advertisement and enrollment packet includes information on ACE’s eligibility standards for driving. If a Member was selected to a position which was originally identified as not including driving responsibilities, the change will need to be communicated to ACE to make the needed adjustments, provide training to the Member, and verify that the Member is eligible to perform those tasks in the field.
Operation of ATVs, boats, or other types of vehicles must also be approved in advance by ACE, and preferably brought up during the agreement approval process to ensure adequate workers compensation coverage is provided for the specific activity.
ACE Requirements to Drive an ACE, Partner, Government, or Agency Vehicle
To operate a vehicle, ACE requires that Members be at least 21 years old, have an insurable driving record, complete a motor vehicle record check, sign an ACE Driving Agreement, complete a Defensive Drivers course, and complete an in-person driver review with the partner. The age requirement also applies to operating ATVs, UTVs, heavy equipment, and motorized boats.
ACE provides Members with a nationally recognized online Defensive Driver’s Course. Frequently, our partners also require Defensive Driving Courses. When this is the case, we can often use the partner-required course as a substitute for our own, which prevents unnecessary duplication for the ACE Member. If this is the case, please alert your ACE Point of Contact. The ACE Member will be required to submit proof of certification to ACE upon completion of the defensive driving course. ACE Members will not be able to drive ACE or Agency vehicles prior to completing their defensive driving training however, so depending on project need, this should be one of the first things that happens when a Member arrives at site.
An in-person driving review/training must be provided by the partner prior to a Member driving any vehicle, including ATVs, boats, or other types of vehicles/crafts. This review should look similar to what is already provided at the agency level for regular staff. Please reach out to your ACE Point of Contact for guidance on what in-person driving training should look like.
Agency staff or partners are not allowed to drive ACE vehicles per ACE’s insurance policy. They are allowed to be passengers in an ACE vehicle.
ACE needs to be informed in advance if a Member will need to drive during their term of service. If you anticipate any driving being a part of the Member’s position duties, it is best to communicate this as the budget, agreement and position description are being developed. This will allow us to ensure there is appropriate funding for any driving resources ACE might need to provide, and that the advertisement and enrollment packet includes information on ACE’s eligibility standards for driving. If a Member was selected to a position which was originally identified as not including driving responsibilities, the change will need to be communicated to ACE to make the needed adjustments, provide training to the Member, and verify that the Member is eligible to perform those tasks in the field.
Operation of ATVs, boats, or other types of vehicles must also be approved in advance by ACE, and preferably brought up during the agreement approval process to ensure adequate workers compensation coverage is provided for the specific activity.
ACE Requirements to Drive an ACE, Partner, Government, or Agency Vehicle
To operate a vehicle, ACE requires that Members be at least 21 years old, have an insurable driving record, complete a motor vehicle record check, sign an ACE Driving Agreement, complete a Defensive Drivers course, and complete an in-person driver review with the partner. The age requirement also applies to operating ATVs, UTVs, heavy equipment, and motorized boats.
ACE provides Members with a nationally recognized online Defensive Driver’s Course. Frequently, our partners also require Defensive Driving Courses. When this is the case, we can often use the partner-required course as a substitute for our own, which prevents unnecessary duplication for the ACE Member. If this is the case, please alert your ACE Point of Contact. The ACE Member will be required to submit proof of certification to ACE upon completion of the defensive driving course. ACE Members will not be able to drive ACE or Agency vehicles prior to completing their defensive driving training however, so depending on project need, this should be one of the first things that happens when a Member arrives at site.
An in-person driving review/training must be provided by the partner prior to a Member driving any vehicle, including ATVs, boats, or other types of vehicles/crafts. This review should look similar to what is already provided at the agency level for regular staff. Please reach out to your ACE Point of Contact for guidance on what in-person driving training should look like.
Agency staff or partners are not allowed to drive ACE vehicles per ACE’s insurance policy. They are allowed to be passengers in an ACE vehicle.