ISNetworld (ISN) is the most widely used contractor prequalification platform in the oil and gas, construction, and industrial sectors. If you’re contracting for a major operator in Texas — particularly in the Permian Basin, Gulf Coast, or large commercial construction market — there is a near-certain chance your client requires you to be active and in good standing in ISNetworld before you can step on their property.
What ISNetworld Actually Is
ISNetworld is a third-party contractor information management service. It does not set safety rules — operators (the companies hiring you) tell ISNetworld what requirements their contractors must meet, and ISNetworld collects, stores, and grades your compliance with those requirements.
When a hiring client connects with you in ISNetworld, they can see:
- Your company’s safety statistics (TRIR, DART, EMR)
- Your written safety programs (submitted as RAVS documents)
- Your training records and certifications
- Your insurance certificates
- Your responses to custom questionnaires from that specific client
Your grade on ISNetworld is not universal — it varies by client. Each hiring company sets its own requirements, and your grade reflects how well your submissions match those requirements.
Understanding the RAVS Questionnaire
RAVS stands for Review and Verification Services. The RAVS questionnaire is the core of ISNetworld — it is a series of questions about your safety programs, policies, and procedures. Each question asks whether you have a specific program in place and, if so, for you to upload documentation.
Common RAVS topics include:
- Hazard communication and SDS management
- Lockout/tagout (energy control) program
- Confined space entry program
- Fall protection program
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) program
- Electrical safety and NFPA 70E compliance
- Drug and alcohol program
- Motor vehicle safety program
- Emergency action plan
- Incident reporting and investigation procedures
Each RAVS question has a weight. Some questions are marked as critical by specific clients — a failing answer on a critical question can drop your grade significantly regardless of your performance on other questions.
Your Safety Statistics: TRIR, DART, and EMR
Three statistics define how operators perceive your safety record:
TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate): The number of OSHA recordable incidents per 100 full-time equivalent workers. Calculated as (Number of recordable incidents × 200,000) ÷ Total hours worked. Most operators want to see a TRIR below 1.0 for construction work and below 0.5 for some higher-hazard industrial applications.
DART (Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred Rate): Measures incidents that result in days away from work or job transfer/restriction. Also expressed per 100 FTE workers. A DART rate consistently below your industry average signals a well-managed safety program.
EMR (Experience Modification Rate): Published by your workers’ compensation carrier, the EMR compares your actual claims costs to the expected claims costs for companies of your size in your industry. An EMR below 1.0 indicates better-than-average performance. Many operators will not work with contractors whose EMR exceeds 1.25.
Your EMR affects your ISNetworld grade, your insurance premiums, and your ability to win work. A single serious incident can raise your EMR for three years.
How ISNetworld Grades Work
ISNetworld grades vary by client, but most use a letter grade system (A through F) or a numerical score. In general:
- A grade: All required RAVS questions answered, documentation uploaded, statistics within client tolerance
- B or C grade: Some missing documentation, borderline statistics, or unanswered questions
- D or F grade / Conditional status: Missing critical documentation, statistics outside client tolerance, or unresolved flags
Getting from conditional to A-grade status typically requires:
- Completing all unanswered RAVS questions with honest, complete answers
- Uploading written safety programs for each required topic
- Verifying that your statistics are accurate and entered correctly
- Submitting insurance certificates that meet the client’s specific requirements
- Completing any client-required training or orientations
How Long Does Setup Take?
A new ISNetworld account with no existing documentation typically takes two to four weeks to reach A-grade status, assuming all written programs are already in place. If programs need to be written from scratch, the process takes longer.
For existing accounts that have fallen into conditional status, Freedom Safety has helped clients recover to A-grade in as little as three to five business days for straightforward cases — though complex situations involving missing programs or insurance gaps take longer.
Annual Renewal and Maintenance
ISNetworld compliance is not a one-time event. Most clients require annual renewal of your RAVS submissions, updated statistics, renewed insurance certificates, and ongoing training record maintenance. If you let your account lapse, you may be blocked from mobilizing on existing jobs, not just new ones.
What Freedom Safety Does for ISNetworld Clients
We handle ISNetworld from end to end:
- Initial setup: Account creation, RAVS completion, statistics entry, insurance certificate coordination
- Written programs: We write all required OSHA safety programs specific to your scope
- Ongoing maintenance: Annual renewals, document updates, new client connections
- Grade recovery: We diagnose why your grade dropped and fix it
This is especially critical for contractors working in oil and gas and data center construction, where nearly every major operator and GC requires an active ISNetworld account before you can mobilize.
Freedom Safety manages ISNetworld, Avetta, Veriforce, and other contractor compliance platforms for Texas and Oklahoma contractors. Start with a free compliance review or call (972) 413-8635.