1. Introduction to Virginia VPP
In Virginia, the VPP affords your organization the unique opportunity to become involved in a global effort to improve worker safety and health through cooperation among employees, management and government.

2. What is VPP? “Best of the Best” Commitment vs. Compliance
Foundation for Continuous Improvement
Voluntary
No Fees!
Exemption program
Recognition program
Star Worksite
Merit Worksite
In 1970, Federal Government signed the OSH Act into law. Most people are familiar with the compliance end of that law but the Act also envisioned that there would be employers that would have exemplary employee safety and health programs.
The Voluntary Protection Program, VPP is many things:
-It is a “Best of the Best” sites in companies with safety as a core value.
-It is a Safety and Health Management System that requires commitment of it’s management and workforce vs. an attitude of compliance with legal standards and minimal oversight of the work being performed at the site.
-The VPP requires continuous improvement. The best get better.
-The first word in VPP is Voluntary. It is a formal agreement between management, VOSH/OSHA and employees. It is completely voluntary.
Any partner may withdraw at any time and end the participation of the site.
-Unlike other recognition program, VPP requires NO Fees!!. None for applying, evaluating or participating in VPP.
It is free but there are costs-compliance, vigilance and open communication-all of these carry costs, some of them are monetary.
-As part of the bargain, The approved VPP sites are exempted from regular scheduled VOSH/OSHA inspections. If however there are formal employee complaints, catastrophes or heaven forbid, fatalities, VOSH/OSHA will be required to respond and conduct an inspection of the facility.
VPP is also a recognition program. By meeting the criteria set out in the program, your company will have achieved level of recognition that few employers have accomplished. It is the gold standard for occupational safety and health in the nation.

3. VPP Star Highest Level of Participation
Requires a VOSH/OSHA compliant, effective safety and health program
3-year average Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) and Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR) below industry average
Re-evaluated every years
In the Virginia VPP there are currently two distinct VPP programs. Star and Merit.
The Star program is for those facilities that meet all of the VPP Criteria. They are recognized by Virginia’s Department of labor and Industry as having the highest caliber safety and health programs.

5. VPP initially began as an experiment on a California construction site in With that initial success, Federal OSHA adopted many of the precepts of the California effort and incorporated them into an national recognition program that began in 1982 and recognized an initial 11 sites in Currently there are over 2400 sites in the program throughout the nation. The 23 state run OSHA plan states have all adopted some form of VPP and now represent almost 1/3 of the current total of 2450 sites nation wide.

7. Size of Virginia VPP sites
Effective 5/30/13
In Virginia VPP works with state agencies such as the Lunenburg and Augusta Correctional Centers, and with both large and small facilities in private businesses.
Participating sites include a wide range of sizes from a 6-person Warehouse facility to an aerospace technology company with over 1,300 employees. .
Elements are next
Number of employees

8. Participating sites include a wide range of sizes from a 6-person Warehouse facility to an aerospace technology company with over 1,300 employees.
The largest site in the nation is in Virginia (Newport News Ship Yard) but, it is in the federal VPP. In the Virginia OSH Plan, Maritime, Shipbuilding and Federal facilities (including military bases and postal facilities) are covered by the US Dept of Labor (Federal OSHA)
That means VPP is for everyone.

9. Initially, VPP was represented in many highly hazardous industries such as chemical manufacturing, wood and paper products, refining and electric power generation. Today there are many other industries represented such as electronics, scheduled air service, trucking and warehousing and pharmaceuticals.

10. Who’s in the Virginia VPP
The Virginia VPP participants are a select group of facilities in high hazard industries that have implemented outstanding health and safety programs.
VPP participants are a select group of facilities that have implemented outstanding health and safety programs-approved by Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. These facilities work cooperatively to resolve safety and health problems and strive for continuous improvement in their health and safety performance.

13. Types of Industries Printers Correctional Centers Warehousing Plastics
RR Donnelley (2)
Correctional Centers
VA DOC Lunenburg CC
VA DOC Augusta CC
Warehousing
XPEDX (2)
Blue Linx (2)
Plastics
Toray Plastics America
Eastman Films
Polymer Group, Inc.
Automotive Parts
Continential
Pollution Control
Babcock & Wilcox
Brewery
MillerCoors
Electrical Tranformers
ABB Bland
Heat Transfer
UNIFN
Poultry
Cargil (3)
These are some of the companies in the Virginia VPP. There are 31 different entities with 18 different industries.

14. Types of Industries Electronics Freight Airline Windows and Doors
General Electric (2)
Lockheed Martin
Raytheon
Freight
Frito-Lay Transportation
Airline
Delta
Windows and Doors
Integrity Windows
Pharmaceutical
Fareva
Industrial Laundry
Cintas (2)
Petrochemical
BASF Chemicals
Forest Products
International Paper
Huber Woods
Electric Utilities
NAES (2)
Covanta Energy (2)
Dominion Power (2)
Tenaska Power Generation
Snack Foods
Frito-Lay
Kraft Foods

15. Current Virginia Statistics
First Star Worksite in 1996
GE Salem
59 Star Worksites
41 Active Star Worksites
26 Different companies
20 Different industries
Size from 11 to 1,100 employees

16. VPP
An opportunity to develop cooperative relationships with other VPP sites, VOSH and employees
Designed to recognize and promote effective safety and health management
Not just an award, it’s a continual process reaching toward excellence
Leads to enhanced worker safety and health
One of the greatest benefits of participation in the VPP is the increase in cooperation between management and employees.
The Voluntary Protection Programs focuses heavily on cooperation among management, employees, and the government because the effectiveness of the program would be completely compromised without it.
You’ll get employees involved in the VPP process right from the start. They’ll help you to identify your organization’s specific needs, such as “What do you want to achieve with VPP participation?”
VPP is also a total quality program. It requires a systems approach to workplace safety and health and concentrates on continuous improvement. That means the VPP isn’t an award program, it’s a process, the goal of which is to reach safety excellence.

17. ISO compared to VPP ISO 14001ISO OHSAS 18001 OSHA VPP
4.3.2 Legal and Other Requirements
4.3.2 Legal & Other Requirements
– 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1960
– 29 CFR 1910 or 1926
4.3.3 EHS Objectives and Targets
4.3.3 Management Arrangements and Objectives
4.3.4 EHS Management Programs
4.3.4 Management Program
– Management Leadership and Employee Involvement
– Industrial Hygiene (IH) Program
– Occupational Health Care Program
4.4 Implementation and Operation
4.4 Implementation & Operation
4.4.1 Organizational Structure and EHS Responsibilities
4.4.1 Responsibility and Authority, Structure and Responsibility
– Management Commitment
The VPP program can be compared to the OHSAS and the ISO programs. There are self directed goals and objectives for each VPP site.
However, the other two programs do not emphasize employee involvement. Also, there is not a qualifying TCIR or DART rate for participation in ISO or OHSAS.
Additionally, VPP has no fees like these other programs do!!

18. Elements of VPP Success
Management Leadership
Employee Involvement
Worksite Analysis
Hazard Prevention and Control
Safety and Health Training
These are the four basic elements of the VPP. We will discuss each one individually.

20. Management Leadership
Top management visibility
Clear S&H policies communicated
Responsibility, planning, resources, accountability
Element #1: Management Leadership and Employee Involvement
Management Leadership
Management must be on the floor on a regular basis discussing safety issues. This demonstrates a manager’s interest and dedication to safety and health performance and it also encourages dialogue with employees.
Management must also take the lead by setting clear objectives and goals along with policies that support improvements in safety and health.
Responsibility for aspects of plant safety and health plans must be clear. Each person who is responsible should be given adequate resources to perform their safety-related duties and everyone must be held accountable for their safety performance.
Contract workers must be required to follow worksite safety and health rules and procedures applicable to their activities while on site.

21. Employee Involvement Active and meaningful
Problem identification and resolution
Employees involved in S&H planning
Employee feedback
Includes Contractor Employees
Employee Involvement
Employee involvement is the most essential element for success in the VPP. Employees must be involved in meaningful ways with regard to health and safety. Meaningful participation means being involved in:
Problem-solving groups
Worksite audits
Incident analysis
Goal setting
Job hazard analysis
Safety committees
By making employees a part of the overall process, they have the opportunity to work more effectively within the organization.
Employees should be given regular feedback regarding their safety performance.

22. Worksite Analysis Pre-use/Pre-Startup Analysis Comprehensive Surveys
Self Inspections
Job Hazard Analysis
Employee Reporting of Hazards
Accident Investigation
Trend Analysis
Worksite Analysis
Utilize the safety and health staff to analyze and evaluate new or modified equipment, processes and materials. Operators, since they are the ones who are or will be impacted the most, should be substantially involved.
Develop baseline surveys (initial surveys) of safety and health conditions at your facility. This will give you a good idea of what areas will require a closer look.
Self inspections for should be performed at least once a month and should cover the entire facility each quarter.
Initial analysis of hazards for individual jobs and processes is required and should be reevaluated regularly.
Employee hazard reporting should be accomplished through a formal, written system that can track and verify correction. Employees should have no fear of reprisal for reporting hazards and, more importantly, they should receive timely feedback about corrective actions that have been or will be taken.
Your procedures for accident investigation should be written and the information, such as root causes and lessons learned, should be distributed to employees.
Finally, information about injuries, near misses, first aid reports, and inspection data should be analyzed in order to identify trends. For a Star site the analysis of near miss and first aid data is critical to the continued reduction of injuries.

23. Hazard Prevention & Control
Hazard Tracking System
“Hierarchy of Controls”
Preventive Maintenance
Emergency Response Procedures
Medical Program
Hazard Prevention and Control
You must have a system for tracking hazards and the system must be effective at eliminating or controlling hazards in a timely manner.
The methods you use to control hazards should follow a “hierarchy of controls”, with priority given to engineering solutions that eliminate hazards, such as enclosures and machine guards. Following engineering controls are administrative controls, work practice controls, and personal protective equipment (PPE). PPE should always be the last resort when it comes to protecting your employees.
Effective PM is a key component of any health and safety program. Keeping machinery operating properly helps to ensure that employees will not be injured as a result of equipment failures.
You must have written procedures that address potential plant emergencies and evacuation procedures. The plan should fully describe the actions that employees should take during an emergency as well as describe the duties of any emergency response personnel with regard to spill cleanup, fire suppression, evacuation duties, etc.
Your medical program should include timely access to occupational physicians and nurses. More importantly, you should include them in your hazard analysis activities and plant inspections.

24. Safety and Health Training
Everyone’s responsibility
From top managers to line workers
New Hire/Transfer Orientations
Contractor and Visitors, too
Schedule training sessions on a regular basis
Safety and Health Training
Drive training down to the all levels. Employees want to be involved and this is one of the best ways to get them involved.
It helps to create a positive atmosphere where safety is viewed as everyone’s responsibility rather than a company dictate.
This is important because safety has to be a total team effort that includes everyone from top managers to line workers if it is going to be successful.
Schedule training sessions on a regular basis to ensure consistency. Employee training should incorporate awareness and identification of hazards, safe work procedures and emergency situations and cover all required VOSH training topics. Schedule enough training so that employees can make up missed sessions and document all training.

25. Why Pursue VPP? Economic benefits Enhanced public recognition
Improved safety performance
Increased employee morale
There are many benefits to participation in the VPP:
Performance: decline in injuries, illnesses, and lost work days. The injury rates at VPP sites are normally 50% of non-VPP sites.
Economic: reduced absenteeism, insurance premiums, and workers compensation costs
Improved relationship with VOSH and business community.
Employee Morale: higher morale and feelings of ownership among employees. Employees feel better about working for a company that is committed to their safety and when they understand that they have some level of control over their own safety.

26. Why Pursue VPP? To Save Money!
The average lost-time injury direct costs equal $54,000!
Work injuries cost Americans $177 billion in (National Safety Council)
A workplace injury takes place every six seconds, equal to 96,000/week
The 2005 Workers Compensation Statistical Report showed that the average Worker’s Comp claim in the US was $38,000, costing employers 160 Billion, or $ Million per work day. This figure only includes direct costs and does not account for lost productivity or other expenses associated with an out-of-work employee. For the year 2005 the average WC injury claim in the US was just under $38,000.
Last year Virginia spent 1 BILLION dollars on Worker’s Compensation.

27. VPP: A Model for Better Industry
VPP sites serve as models for standards development
VPP sites assist other companies
VPP promotes innovation and facilitates expansion of cooperative programs vs. compliance programs
VPP Sites are Valuable Resources:
VPP sites serve as models in development of standards and help other companies that want to achieve recognition in the VPP or just improve their safety performance.
Increased VPP interest and participation among organizations promotes innovation in the creation of other cooperative efforts, such as safety networks.
VPP encourages a cooperative learning environment among management, employees, and the government.

28. Some Virginia VPP Success stories
Huber Engineered Woods in Crystal Hill, VA (near South Boston, if you know where that is)

29. Huber Crystal Hill, VA Site
Began
VPP
This is a table for the OSHA 300 recordable rates for the Crystal Hill sites
In 2006 they achieved STAR status.
There were no OSHA recordable injuries/illnesses in 2005 and 2008

30. Huber Recordable Injuries (all 5 sites)
This is the # of OSHA recordables for all 5 of the HEW OSB sites

31. Huber VPP Metrics Safety Training Attendance Safety Behaviors
Compliance VPP Related Items
Compliance with Safety Policies
OSHA Regulatory Items
Completion of Site EHS Goals
Completion of EHS Corrective Actions
Conformance to MMSRs
Overall Huber Safety Score
Near Misses
Overall Incident Rate
These are the Metrics for the site.
Annual goals are set for each of these performance areas.
The overall incident rate includes first aid cases.

32. This is how they do it!
They measure many things NOT just OSHA 300 recordables!
All of these metrics are presented monthly and tracked
There is a plan of action if they exceed the results.

33. Virginia DOC Lunenburg Correctional Center
The Virginia Department of Correction’s Lunenburg Correctional Center entered the Virginia VPP in 2002.
They continue to lead for safety in their department and represent one of the few state agencies involved in VPP throughout the nation.

34. Lunenburg CC Stats
Lunenburg Correctional Center is a Security Level 2 facility housing adult male felons.
The facility opened in 1995 and is located on 205 acres outside of the town of Victoria in Lunenburg County.
The facility averages 257 full time positions and houses 1, 186 offenders.
The facility has a Virginia Correctional Enterprise seating and upholstery production program.

35. Lunenburg WC Savings
In a comparative analysis with like Virginia prisons of the Medium Security Dormitory design (MSD), LCC incurred 57% less workers’ compensation costs than the average of other MSDs for the analysis period.
If all five of the MSDs used for the analysis had been Star certified during the analysis period and achieved similar results as LCC then the potential savings may have been: $3,007,334 in direct (insured) costs; $10,405,377 indirect costs for a total of approximately $13.5 million

36. Loss Claims Per 100 FTEs** FY
FTEs
Claims
Incident Only
Loss Claims
Incurred
$ Per/ 100 FTEs**
06 *
392.05
110 54 56
$ 229,938.00
$ ,650.17
14.3 07
375.75 72 26 46
$ 187,545.00
$ ,912.18
12.2 08
401.5 65 20 45
$ 116,902.00
$ ,116.31
11.2
09^
388.1 44 33 11
$ 4,741.90
$ ,221.82
2.8
* Received VPP Star Certification on 2/1/2006
** Per 100 Filled FTEs
^ Data for FY 09 is through April 30, 2009

37. How to Get Started with VPP?
How can your site join the over 2350 sites in the United States that are experiencing injury and illness rates that are less than half of national averages?

38. VPP Application Process
Initial inquiry by employer
Employer and VOSH
prepare for onsite review
Initial gap review by
VPP Manager, VPP Coordinator
and VOSH Consultation
Volunteer VPP Team
Onsite review
Select a Mentor for the site
Visit other VPP sites
Team recommends STAR
Report submitted for review
Benchmark other VPP sites
Work with Mentor(s) gaps
Report submitted to
DOLI Commissioner
1. Initial inquiry by employer
2. VPP Coordinator explains VPP application process
3. Site selects and works with a Mentor and VOSH Consultation Services
4.When the employer completes the requirements of VPP. Application submitted and reviewed by VOSH/ Application may be returned for revisions if necessary
5. Employer and VOSH prepare for on-site evaluation
6. On-site review conducted
7. Report submitted to employer and team for review
8. Report reviewed/revised by VOSH
9. Report submitted to DOLI Commissioner
10. Commissioner approves / disapproves team recommendations and Employer and Union notified
Commissioner approves
Application sent to
VPP Manager
*Employer can withdraw at ANY time

39. Any Questions? www.doli.virginia.gov General Information
(540) , then select “6”
Milford Stern, VPP Program Manager
works best!