This week, the Voluntary Protection Program Participants' Association (VPPPA) released comments to OSHA on the proposed revisions to the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) published recently in the Federal Register.
While the VPPPA has been working closely with OSHA to improve and further develop this recognition program, these revisions mark the first substantial changes to the VPP in 10 years.
"We are pleased to work with OSHA to develop the VPP and support the direction the agency is proceeding with the program," said Lee Anne Jillings, executive director of the VPPPA. "Many conversations between OSHA and the VPPPA have resulted in some quality revisions to the VPP."
The VPPPA offered input on the program change that would allow OSHA discretion to limit the number of VPP Merit sites within a single company. The association said that it recognizes that "this provision is designed to help the agency leverage its limited resources by increasing its expectations of VPP applicants." We want to alert OSHA that encouragement and support for VPP application does not always come from the corporate office, but often times the effort is worksite-based, with minimal or no involvement from the corporate office. Therefore, placing limitations on the number of VPP Merit sites of any one company instead penalizes the efforts of the employees," according to VPPPA statement.
In addition, the association expressed concern that the lack of consistency in VPP evaluations throughout the regions could impact the number of Merit sites from a single company.