Other States Looking at Indiana/Virginia Model
The VPP trail blazed by Indiana in 1995, when the Indiana Department of Labor successfully codified VPP into law by a state statute, has been followed by Virginia and may soon be traveled by other states, Courtney Malveaux, VPPPA's government affairs counsel, reports.
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The VPP trail blazed by Indiana in 1995, when the Indiana Department of Labor successfully codified VPP into law by a state statute, has been followed by Virginia and may soon be traveled by other states, Courtney Malveaux, VPPPA's government affairs counsel, reports in the edition of VPPPA's The Leader magazine given to attendees of #VPPPA32 here, the 2016 VPPPA Annual National Safety & Health Conference at the Gaylord Palms resort.
An article in the magazine by Timothy E. Maley, deputy commissioner of labor for Indiana, traces the progress of Indiana's program; it was the first state to codify VPP in state law. But Malveaux writes in the same issue that "several additional states are looking to follow Indiana's and Virginia's lead."
Indiana had 80 VPP sites at the time Maley wrote his article and hopes to have 100 sites in the program within a year or two; the current sites' DART rate is 71 better than industry competitors' rates and their total case incident rate (TCIR) is 65 percent better, he writes.
"Plain and simple, VPP works," Maley writes. 'That's why Indiana supported efforts to codify this program into law. That's why the Indiana Department of Labor and member companies are so excited about the results. More Indiana companies are getting interested. The Indiana VPP model is government, industry and labor working together in a continuous learning, sharing and ever-improving environment."
With this in mind, Tuesday and Wednesday sessions here that will help companies start or expand their VPP profile include "Tangible Value and Benefits of the Cal/VPP Program" (1-2 p.m.) and "VPP One-Oh-Wait, What?" (1-2 p.m.) on Tuesday and "Security and Workplace Violence at VPP Sites" (11 a.m.-noon), "Employee Engagement Through Field Auditing" (11 a.m.-noon), "State-Plan VPP Managers Open Forum" (11 a.m.-noon), "A Proven Approach to VPP Certification and Beyond" (11 a.m.-noon), and "Preparing for a Successful VPP Audit" (1:30-2:30 p.m.) on Wednesday.