OSHA Voluntary Protection Program
What is VPP?
The Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) promotes effective worksite-based safety and health. In the 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 achieve exemplary occupation safety and health.
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. The evaluation includes a review of training documentation as well as other documentation, inspection of jobsites and employee interviews.
OSHA approves qualified sites to one of three programs: Star, Merit or Demonstration
There are four elements to VPP. These elements are
- management commitment and employee involvement
- hazard prevention and control
- worksite analysis
- training
What does this mean to me?
Indiana OSHA recently started a VPP Mobile program for contractors. We have achieved VPP Star Status at Marathon Petroleum Company and Eli Lilly Technology Center. We would like to start working towards applying for this mobile program and hope to have an audit completed in 2016. To achieve this, we will need support and participation from all employees to ensure all employees are compliant on training, completing necessary safety documents and are complying with safety rules and policies.
Throughout the year we will be providing more information through safety meetings and discussion, but wanted to get this information to everyone. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns please contact Trevor Atherton at (812) 422-3340. Your support and participation throughout this process will be greatly appreciated.
