Why Your ISNetworld Grade Is Holding You Back, and How to Fix It
You paid the subscription, uploaded what ISNetworld asked for, and bid the job. Then the client's project manager tells you that you can't be approved because your grade is a D.
That grade isn't a verdict on your crews or the quality of your work. It measures how well your account matches one hiring client's checklist. That's good news, because a checklist can be fixed, usually faster than people expect.
How the grade works
ISNetworld grades contractors from A to F, and every hiring client sets its own scorecard. You can be an A for one owner and a D for another in the same week, because they ask for different things and weigh them differently.
Many clients require an A, B, or C to stay on their approved supplier list. Some require an A. Below their line, you can lose the job, even if you were the low bid.
Most scorecards are built from the same pieces:
- Written programs, reviewed by ISN's RAVS team against the work you do
- The safety questionnaire about how your program runs
- Injury statistics from your OSHA logs: fatalities, TRIR, and DART rate
- Your EMR (experience modification rate)
- Insurance verification against the client's limits and endorsements
- Client-specific items, such as training records, drug and alcohol programs, or signed forms
Open the scorecard for that specific client in your account. It shows which sections are pulling the grade down, and that is where to start.
The six things that drag grades down most
1. Written programs that fail RAVS review
This is the most common problem we see. Generic templates downloaded from the internet, programs with another company's name still in them, and programs missing required elements all get kicked back. So does a program set that doesn't match your work, like a roofer with no fall protection program. Each deficiency stays open until you correct and resubmit it.
The fix is to write programs to the RAVS criteria for the work you actually do, then answer every reviewer comment quickly. Our free written programs checker shows which programs OSHA requires for your work.
2. Missing or mismatched OSHA log data
ISNetworld asks for several years of injury and illness data. Blank years, hours worked left empty, or numbers that don't match your OSHA 300A summary all hurt the grade. Pull your 300A for each year and enter the numbers exactly.
TRIR is calculated per 200,000 hours worked, which is about 100 full-time employees for a year: recordable cases × 200,000 ÷ total hours worked. Three recordables in 150,000 hours gives a TRIR of 4.0. A wrong hours figure can double or halve that number, so check it.
3. TRIR, DART, or EMR over the client's limit
If your numbers are above a client's limit, the long-term fix is fewer injuries. In the short term, some clients will accept an explanation letter with a corrective action plan that shows what happened and what you changed. Ask before you assume the door is closed. Your EMR follows its own rules, which we cover in What a High EMod Really Costs You.
4. Insurance certificates that don't match
Limits below the client's minimum, a missing additional insured or waiver of subrogation endorsement, an expired policy, or the wrong certificate holder can each fail the insurance section. Send the client's exact requirements to your agent, ask for a certificate built to them, and set a reminder for every renewal date.
5. Client-specific requirements left open
These only show up under that client, so they are easy to miss. Look for training records, drug and alcohol program documents, site-specific forms, and signed agreements. They're usually quick to close once you know they're there.
6. Things that quietly expired
Programs come up for review, insurance renews, and ISN asks for last year's statistics early each year. An account that was an A last spring can drift down without anyone touching it. Someone has to own the account all year, not just when a bid is due.
What to fix first
Work in this order. It gets the grade moving fastest:
- Fast, yes-or-no items: insurance certificates, expired documents, and client-specific forms. These often move the grade within days.
- Statistics: enter or correct OSHA log data and hours for every year requested.
- Written programs: correct and resubmit. These take longest because ISN's review adds time on its end.
- Performance: lower TRIR, DART, and EMR. This takes the longest, so start now, alongside the rest.
How long does it take?
On our side, most account fixes take about a week, and rush service is available when a bid is close. ISN's own review of resubmitted programs adds time on top of that. So the best time to fix a grade is before the bid, not after the project manager calls.
When to get help
If you can't tell why your grade is low, if the same deficiencies keep coming back, or if nobody in the office has time to own the account, that's when outside help pays for itself. We manage ISNetworld, Avetta, and Veriforce accounts for contractors across the country at a fixed price, starting at $750 per platform.
Send us a request for an account review and we'll tell you exactly what's holding your grade back. Or book a free assessment to look at your whole safety program.
Foundation HSE Group is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ISNetworld or any other prequalification provider. Scorecard requirements are set by each hiring client and can change at any time.