OSHA to Host VPP Meeting in Connecticut
OSHA has is inviting employers from Connecticut and southern New England to attend a free March 12 meeting at Wesleyan University in Middletown to learn about the agency's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP).
"The VPP is an exceptional safety and health opportunity that we want more companies to know about and participate in," said Marthe Kent, OSHA's regional administrator in Boston. "It demands time and commitment from all concerned, but its rewards are considerable as attendees will learn from area companies that are eagerly and successfully participating in the VPP."
VPP is a merit-based program that recognizes worksites where employers and employees work together to go beyond OSHA standards to systematically evaluate, identify, and eliminate workplace hazards on a continual basis. VPP participants experience injury and illness rates at least 50 percent lower than their industry averages, reduced compensation costs, and positive changes in companies' safety and health culture.
Speakers will include OSHA's VPP manager for New England, the founder of the New England OSHA Training Institute Education Center, and representatives from two Connecticut VPP sites--Dominion Millstone Power Station in Waterford and Rogers Corp. in Woodstock. They will discuss the purpose and background of the VPP, detail how it works, and describe its positive impact on their workplaces.
More than 2,160 worksites in more than 270 industries nationwide--including 60 worksites in southern New England--currently participate in the VPP. More information is available at www.osha.gov/dcsp/vpp/index.html.
The meeting will be held in Room 113 of the Downey House, 294 High St., Middletown, from 9-11 a.m. EST. There is no charge, but advance registration is requested. To register and obtain more information, call Lynnda Ignacio at 617-565-3075 or Diane Malachowski at 800-449-6742.