Over the past month Total Environmental & Safety, LLC (Total) had the unique opportunity to assist a major chemical company with the renewal of their OSHA VPP Star status. Five years had passed since the company was awarded this prestigious status and management wanted to continue benefitting from what has proven to be a very successful program for them. The five-year mark triggered the scheduled audit by OSHA to check on their continued efforts in the program.
Recognized the fact that it is very easy for an organization to get comfortable with their way of doing things, especially when they’ve been doing it for an extended period of time. Being aware of this tendency can make an organization a better problem solver, as they know that it’s a good idea to occasionally talk with other people about the aspects of the project that they are working on. Such outside advice about a situation can help an organization gain perspective and approach a problem from a new angle.
This cooperative approach proved to be a success. Working along side the Operations and EHS Departments, Total assisted in the annual self-audit of their VPP and compliance programs. This allowed opportunities for improvement to be recognized that may have gone unnoticed due to their close proximity to their operations. Total then assisted in closing critical gaps prior to OSHA arriving for their scheduled five-year audit.
The following information on the OSHA VPP program was obtained from www.OSHA.gov. If you would like Total Environmental & Safety, LLC (Total) to assist your facility in obtaining or maintaining OSHA VPP status, call Total at 908-442-8599 or email to contact@TotalEnviron.com.
What is VPP?
The Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) promotes effective worksite-based safety and health. In VPP, management, labor, and OSHA establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented a comprehensive safety and health management system. Approval into VPP is OSHA’s official recognition of the outstanding efforts of employers and employees who have achieved exemplary occupational safety and health.
What Is the Authority for VPP?
The legislative underpinning for VPP is Section (2)(b)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, which declares Congress’s intent “to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources – (1) by encouraging employers and employees in their efforts to reduce the number of occupational safety and health hazards at their places of employment, and to stimulate employers and employees to institute new and to perfect existing programs for providing safe and healthful working conditions.”
How Does VPP Work?
In practice, VPP sets performance-based criteria for a managed safety and health system, invites sites to apply, and then assesses applicants against these criteria. OSHA’s verification includes an application review and a rigorous onsite evaluation by a team of OSHA safety and health experts.
OSHA approves qualified sites to one of three programs:
Star: Recognition for employers and employees who demonstrate exemplary achievement in the prevention and control of occupational safety and health hazards the development, implementation and continuous improvement of their safety and health management system.
Merit: Recognition for employers and employees who have developed and implemented good safety and health management systems but who must take additional steps to reach Star quality
Demonstration: Recognition for employers and employees who operate effective safety and health management systems that differ from current VPP requirements. This program enables OSHA to test the efficacy of different approaches.
When Did VPP Begin?
1979 – California began experimental program
1982 – OSHA formally announced the VPP and approved the first site.
1998 – Federal worksites became eligible for VPP.
How Has VPP Improved Worker Safety & Health?
Statistical evidence for VPP’s success is impressive. The average VPP worksite has a Days Away Restricted or Transferred (DART) case rate of 52% below the average for its industry(1). These sites typically do not start out with such low rates. Reductions in injuries and illnesses begin when the site commits to the VPP approach to safety and health management and the challenging VPP application process.
How Does VPP Benefit Employers?
Fewer injuries and illnesses mean greater profits as workers’ compensation premiums and other costs plummet. Entire industries benefit as VPP sites evolve into models of excellence and influence practices industry-wide.
How Does VPP Benefit OSHA?
OSHA gains a corps of ambassadors enthusiastically spreading the message of safety and health system management. These partners also provide OSHA with valuable input and augment its limited resources.
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Footnote (1) This information is calculated annually by the Office of Partnership and Recognition and is based upon the injury and illness data submitted every year by the VPP participants.