Background:
The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) is the largest Naval shore facility in the
Pacific Northwest. The Shipyard's capabilities include alteration, overhaul and
repair, construction, and drydocking of all types of naval vessels. In January
2006, it became the third naval shipyard to achieve OSHA Voluntary Protection
Programs (VPP) Star recognition, joining Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine and
Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia.
Success Impact:
VPP Process Reduces Injuries and Illnesses at the Shipyard
When PSNS began the VPP process in 1995, their Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR)
was 22.8. Through the implementation and maturation of VPP tenets, the site has
demonstrated drastic reductions in those rates. In 2007, their TCIR was reduced
to 5.6 – a reduction of 75 percent since initiating the VPP process. Their 2007
rate is also 47 percent below the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) national
average for the ship building and repair industry. The table below presents PSNS’
TCIR over the past decade and the steady reduction once becoming involved with
OSHA’s VPP.
| |
TCIR |
| 1995 |
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ |
| 2002 |
12.9 |
| 2003 |
8.9 |
| 2004 |
8.1 |
| 2005 |
7.1 |
| 2006 |
7.1 |
| 2007 |
5.6 |
| 2006 BLS
Average |
10.7 |
Increased Employee Involvement and Knowledge of Safety and Heath
Drives Success
PSNS determined that employee involvement was a key component for driving
success. They worked hard to increase safety awareness among all employees and
empowered the work force to accept responsibility for their own personal safety
and the safety of their co-workers. Examples of how they accomplished this
include:
-
VPP Passport - an educational tool to increase employees’
knowledge of VPP and the PSNS safety program. VPP Passport also increased
individual employee’s involvement in his or her own safety.
-
Shop, Code, and Project Safety Committees - Each PSNS Shop,
Code, and Project currently has a Safety Committee made up of employees who
work together to solve safety issues in their work areas.
-
Quarterly Worksite Inspections - Shop, Code, and Project Safety
Committees have teamed up with the PSNS safety office to conduct safety
inspections of the entire facility on a quarterly basis. Previously, the
Safety office conducted annual inspections, but with the assistance of
employees, they have been able to increase the frequency of the inspections
and receive assistance in getting deficiencies corrected in a timely manner.
-
Employee Recognition – PSNS has two employee recognition
programs through which employees can be recognized by other employees for safe
work practices.
-
The Safety ACT Program allows employees to nominate other employees for
recognition who perform a specific contribution related to safety.
-
The VPP Recognition Team recognizes employees they find working in a safe
manner with free lunch tickets.
Origin: OSHA Region X Regional Office
Entered VPP: January 2006
Industry and NAICS and SIC Codes: NAICS 336611 – Ship Building and Repair
Employees: 8,500 employees; 2,500 contractors
Employers: 1
Source and Date: David Baker, OSHA Region X Regional
Office, and Dan Haas, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (August 2008)
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