What Is VPP?

The Voluntary Protection Program, or VPP, is a program of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration, or OSHA, for companies that implement safety and health measures that keep them below the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates for their industry.

History

• Section (2)(b)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 is the basis for the VPP, which claims it is in the best interest of the nation to provide all people a healthy and safe place of employment by stimulating, "employers and employees to institute new and to perfect existing programs for providing safe and healthful working conditions." The program began in California in 1979 and was formally announced in 1982. Federal work places became eligible in 1998.

Program Participation

• Participation in the program begins with an application from the company, which includes union support if there is a bargaining unit. The company undergoes health and safety inspections while beginning the management system. Potential companies are matched with a mentor VPP company to aid the candidate, and there is a four-day OSHA training course in VPP culture, philosophy and criteria of the program.

Benefits

• Days Away Restricted or Transferred, or DART, of VPP companies is 52 percent below average for companies in their industries. More days of worker production due to increased health of the staff leads to profitability. Participants are re-evaluated every three to five years but do not have inspections in between.