Voluntary Protection Programs(VPP)

AZCO INC. is working towards participation in the OSHA VPP Mobile Workforce Demonstration for Construction Program.

OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs recognize and partner with businesses and worksites that show excellence in occupational safety and health. Sites are committed to effective employee protection above and beyond the requirements of OSHA standards. VPP participants develop and implement systems to effectively identify, evaluate, eliminate and control occupational hazards to prevent employee injuries and illnesses. As a result, the average VPP worksite has a Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART) case rate 52% below the average NAICS code for its industry.

General Requirements – an effective, ongoing safety and health program
OSHA believes an effective safety and health management system is the best way to prevent occupational illnesses and injuries. By meeting performance-based criteria, AZCO INC. is expected to use a comprehensive system geared toward each worksite’s needs. Management leadership and employee participation, in addition to company self-evaluations, are key elements of this process. Annual self-evaluations measure success and identify areas needing improvement.

Cooperation
VPP emphasizes trust and cooperation among OSHA, the employers, employees and employee representatives. This cooperation, and the excellent protection found at VPP sites, complements the agency’s enforcement activity without replacing it, allowing the agency to focus its inspection resources on higher-risk establishments. Although VPP sites are exempt from programmed inspections, employers and employees retain their rights and responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Good Performance
Voluntary Protection Programs participants are selected based on their written safety and health management system (SHMS) and ongoing performance. OSHA also conducts a thorough on-site evaluation to judge how well the site’s SHMS system is working, including a review of site injury/illness rates. Continuous improvement is expected.

Star Status – The designation AZCO INC. is working towards
Star Status is designed for exemplary worksites with comprehensive, successful safety and health management systems. Companies with Star Status have achieved injury and illness rates below the national average of their respective industries. These sites are self-sufficient in their ability to control workplace hazards. Star participants are reevaluated every 12 to 18 months in the Mobile Workforce Program. Additionally, OSHA will return to the participant’s headquarters every five years to reevaluate the SHMS policies and procedures.

Some Federally Approved Star Program Participants
ABB Inc., New Berlin, WI
Jacobs Engineering Group, Cincinnati, OH
Westar – Gordon Evans Energy Center, Colwich, KS
GE Water & Process Technologies, The Woodlands, TX
C.R. Meyer, Oshkosh, WI
High Steel Structures, Williamsport, PA
PP&L Montana – Colstrip SES, Colstrip, MT
Reliant Energy Bighorn, Primm, NV
Weyerhaeuser – Springfield TOPS, Springfield, OR
CH2MHill Omi Rio Rancho Project, NM
Calpine Hidalgo Energy Center, Edinburg, TX
SNC – Lavalin GDS at Chevron Phillips, Baytown, TX
Westar Energy – Jeffrey Energy Center, Saint Mary’s, KS
Weyerhaeuser iSC, Saint Paul, MN

For more complete information visit – www.osha.gov

For More Information on OSHA Challenge, including the application process:

Contact the OSHA Office of Partnerships and Recognition at (202) 693-2213
or visit -  http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/vpp/challenge.html.