Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/860755
palletcentral.com PalletCentral • July-August 2017 21 The VPP participants are exempt from OSHA programmed inspections while they maintain their VPP status. It is a major undertaking to demonstrate the commitment to safety that is required to achieve VPP status, but investment in proactive safety and health management systems does pay off. The average VPP worksite has 54 percent fewer injuries than non-participating companies. At OSHA's July 2017 VPP meeting, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Tom Galassi greeted participants, but called the current VPP program "unsustainable" given available resources. He supported VPP as a way of encouraging a culture of compliance, while also giving an exemption from programmed inspections that frees up OSHA resources to focus on high-risk establishments. VPP sites can still be inspected if they report a severe injury or fatality, have an employee hazard complaint or professional referral, or have a plain view imminent danger situation. Douglas Kalinowski, OSHA's director of the office with jurisdiction alliances and partnerships, managed the meeting and is point person for VPP at the agency. NWPCA recently met with Mr. Kalinowski during the Washington legislative and regulatory meetings, to discuss relaunching of cooperative efforts between the association and agency on bandsaw safety, amputation prevention and other safety and health issues of significance to the pallet industry. The key issues were discussed by a panel of representatives from major employers who are VPP participants, employer trade associations, labor unions, OSHA agencies (which administer the VPP programs in their OSHA state plan states), and individuals from safety organizations including the American Society of Safety Engineers, the American Industrial Hygiene Association, and the Voluntary Protection Program Participants' Association. In addition, public comments were accepted from the more than 100 persons attending. The participants considered the following issues, which are also ones for which written comments are sought by OSHA: (1) How can the agency increase participation while maintaining the integrity of VPP and operating within the available resources? (2) How can the agency recalibrate VPP to optimize the engagement of long-term VPP participants? (3) How might the agency recalibrate Corporate VPP for greater effectiveness? (4) How can the agency further leverage participant resources such as "Special Government Employees" (SGEs, who work within companies but are safety subject matter experts, and participating in auditing compliance with VPP requirements)?