OSHA Voluntary Protection Plan
Introduction
The OSHA Voluntary Protection Plan (VPP) is an
effective safety and health management program that recognizes and
promotes the efforts of employers and employees who have achieved
outstanding safety and health records. In the OSHA VPP, management,
labor and OSHA establish a partnership that results in a comprehensive
and effective safety and health management system in each participating
workplace.
Organizations must apply to the OSHA VPP. OSHA
then approves qualified workplaces to one of three VPP programs:
- Star - recognizes sites that have distinguished
themselves with the highest level of safety and health excellence.
- Merit - is a program for organizations that
are not qualified for STAR level, but appear to be close to qualifying.
Merit sites must have agree to specific goals for enhancing their
safety and health program to meet Star requirements and are evaluated
onsite annually.
- Star Demonstration: Recognition for
work sites that address unique safety and health issues.
How Does VPP Work?
What VPP does is to establish performance-based,
measurable criteria for a managed safety and health system. Workplaces
are invited to apply, and they are then assessed against these criteria.
Once a site applies for participation in the VPP
they enter a rigorous process that examines management; safety and
health training; leadership; employee involvement in safety; work site
safety analysis; and hazard prevention and control. There will be
a comprehensive onsite review by OSHA to evaluate the workplace
safety and health program and to interview employees.
Workplaces that are accepted as STAR must then
submit annual self-evaluations and undergo periodic onsite re-evaluations
to remain in the program and at the STAR level.
How Has VPP Improved Worker Safety & Health?
The results seen by those who have joined OSHA
VPP are impressive. On the average VPP work sites have a Days Away
Restricted or Transferred (DART) case rate that is 52% below the
average for their industry. It's not that these workplaces started
out with a low DART case rate. The reduction in injuries and illnesses
began when the workplace committed to the VPP approach to safety and
health management and started the OSHA VPP application process.
How Does VPP Benefit Employers?
Workplaces see fewer injuries and illnesses, and
that means greater profits as workers’ compensation premiums
plummet. In addition, the Voluntary Protection Plan (VPP) saves
money by reducing the cost of injuries, accidents, downtime and
safety/health related litigation. But the effects are more wide
reaching. Not only do individual organizations benefit, but entire
industries benefit as VPP sites evolve into models of excellence
that influence the practices of an entire industry. When others
in an industry see the competitive benefits of VPP, they recognize
that to remain competitive they must take similar steps.
|
