Over the past 26 years, OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) – the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s premier recognition program –
has demonstrated a solid history of positive impact and impressive results,
making the business case for managing worker safety and health through a systems
approach. Between 2001 and 2008, the number of VPP participants covered by OSHA
has grown by 170 percent and as of October 31, 2008, OSHA had 2,129 VPP sites
covering more than 875,000 employees.
Highlights from the recently completed FY 2007 VPP Annual Evaluation of VPP
participants under Federal OSHA’s jurisdiction, show that VPP participants, on
average, are:
- 54% below the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR)
for their industries;
- 53% below the BLS Days Away, Restricted and Transfer (DART) rate for their
industries;
- Avoided an estimated 13,829 TCIR injuries; Avoided an estimated 7,708 DART
injuries; and
- 354 VPP sites experienced zero recordables.
Based on figures provided by the National Safety Council Injury Facts
publication, VPP participants have saved more than $300 million by avoiding DART
injuries for 2007. Also, in 2007, Federal Agency VPP participants saved the
government more than $59 million by avoiding DART injuries.
The VPP benefit employers. Instilling safety and health prevention as a core
value not only creates a safer work environment, but ultimately adds to the
employer’s bottom line. Injuries, illnesses, workers’ compensation premiums, and
other costs are reduced through VPP participation. In some instances, entire
industries benefit as VPP participants serve as models of excellence and
influence practices industry-wide.
The following section highlights four recent cases of how businesses and
government participating in VPP have implemented safety and health management
systems and benefited from their efforts to attain and maintain VPP status.
These include: lowered injury and illness rates, enhanced management commitment,
improved employee involvement, and decreased worker compensation costs.
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin’s participation in VPP began in 1994 when their Syracuse and
Owego facilities in New York attained VPP recognition. The Syracuse site first
achieved VPP Merit recognition in February 1994. Later that year, the Owego site
attained OSHA VPP Star recognition. Within one year of achieving Star status,
Moorestown site’s worker compensation costs decreased by 75 percent from over
$740,000 per year to $188,869 per year. VPP participation continued to
positively impact the site’s bottom line and in 2006, their workers’
compensation costs were about $94,000 annually. These decreasing workers’
compensation costs show the impact VPP has on reducing injuries and illnesses
while helping the company’s overall bottom line.
Lockheed Martin representatives Deb Ackerman (left) and Yvonne Slate (middle),
and OSHA Area Director Chris Adams (right) at VPP ceremony (December 2007).
MYR Group, Inc.
MYR Group, Inc. is one of the largest electrical transmission and distribution
companies in the country. In 2002, MYR Group had a TCIR of 7.3 and a DART rate
of 3.9; they were also facing significant enforcement actions. Through concerted
efforts throughout the organization, safety and health has been transformed into
a key corporate value. By 2007, MYR’s TCIR was reduced to 2.7 (a 63 percent
decrease) and their DART to 1.2 (a 69 percent decrease). Their 2007 TCIR and
DART rates are also 53 and 63 percent below the 2006 BLS national average for
the power and communication line construction industry, respectively.
Management at MYR Group committed itself to transforming safety and health
prevention into a core corporate value and becoming an industry leader for
safety. Several key initiatives effected this transformation:
- Instituting performance-based training at the foreman and general foreman
levels.
- Establishing safety goals for superintendents, construction managers, and
operations managers.
- Enforcing management accountability and disciplinary issues.
- Enhancing their Corporate Safety Management System.
- Developing a comprehensive new hire orientation program.
- Performing comprehensive job site visits with safety and operations personnel
focusing on areas of loss or concern.
As of September 2008, three of MYR Group’s subsidiaries achieved Star status in
OSHA’s VPP Mobile Workforce Demonstration.
VPP award and flag-raising ceremony (VPP flag is on right) and for Sturgeon
Electric, a subsidiary of MYR Group (October 29, 2008).
Omaha Steaks
Omaha Steaks F Street Plant processes meat products from boxed beef received
from USDA-inspected meat facilities. The plant, which received Star recognition
in April 2008, is one of Omaha Steak’s three active VPP Star sites. In recent
years, management at the F Street Plant has worked to involve more employees in
their safety and health management system.
Larry Nixon, Omaha Steaks F Street Plant Manager (left) and Ben Bare, OSHA Omaha
Area Office Director (right) raising flag at VPP Star ceremony on June 19, 2008
A key focus area has been ergonomics, where employees contribute many ideas for
improvements. OSHA has recognized Omaha’s increased employee involvement in
ergonomic initiatives as industry best practices. Examples include:
- Ergonomics Program – An ergonomics committee (comprised of management,
employees, and safety committee members) meets on a monthly basis to proactively
evaluate concerns and implement any necessary solutions.
- Symptom Surveys and Immediate Response Forms – These forms are available to
all employees for early detection and reporting of ergonomic issues. If an
employee reports discomfort, their job technique is evaluated by the safety
specialist, the occupational health nurse, and the supervisor. The employee is
then instructed in proper ergonomic techniques. Early reporting has allowed the
facility to reduce and prevent many muscular skeletal disorders.
- Safety Concern Notices – Employees can submit these notices to report
hazardous conditions and provide suggestions for improvement. The safety
specialist personally responds to the employee about his/her suggestion and
communicates the suggestion to management and/or maintenance for implementation.
- Bilingual Safety Training – All safety training and on-the-job training can be
performed in English and Spanish by the bilingual safety specialist. This
assures more comprehensive understanding of the training and understanding of
proper job technique.
Omaha Steaks-OSHA VPP ceremony luncheon held on June 19th, 2008.
These efforts have significantly contributed to the reduction of injuries and
illnesses at the site. Since 2003, the plant has reported a 62 percent reduction
in their TCIR and a 70 percent DART rate reduction. This was all accomplished
while ramping up production where total hours worked at the plant increased by
83 percent.
The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) is the largest naval shore facility in the
Pacific Northwest with capabilities including alteration, overhaul and repair,
construction, and dry-docking of all types of naval vessels. In January 2006,
Puget became the third naval shipyard to achieve VPP recognition, joining
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire and Norfolk Naval Shipyard in
Virginia.
PSNS OSHA VPP Star Ceremony (January 2006)
(left to right) Captain Dan Peters, U.S. Navy Former Shipyard Commander; David
Baker, OSHA Region X VPP Manager; Michael Lyons; Special Government Employee,
ConocoPhillips; Colleen Darrell, Special Government Employee, OSHA Anchorage,
Alaska; Dave Caswell, OSHA Anchorage, Alaska; C. Wallace, OSHA National Office
When PSNS began the VPP process in 1995, their 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 and a rate 47 percent below the BLS national average for the ship
building and repair industry.
PSNS determined that employee involvement was a key component for driving
success. They increased safety awareness among all employees and empowered the
workforce 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.
- Employee Recognition – PSNS has two employee recognition programs through
which employees can be recognized by other employees for safe work practices.
As evidenced in the above four VPP business cases, using the VPP model produces
better business results. The VPP model promotes voluntary adoption of safety and
health management systems that go beyond compliance with OSHA standards and are
tailored to the needs of specific workplaces. OSHA applauds our VPP participants
who promote safer and healthier workplaces through meaningful employee
involvement and management commitment. These participants reduce injuries and
illnesses, experience significant cost savings, transform labor, management and
government relationships, and create models of excellence in industries
throughout the United States.
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