Are you are looking to become a recognized leader in your industry and community? Can you demonstrate a commitment to workplace safety and health? Then the Voluntary Protection Program might be the program for you.
VPP in WA is based on a national program of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) whereby management, labor, and the government establish cooperative relationships. Workplaces that achieve VPP status have strong safety cultures that focus on preventing workplace injuries and illnesses through management commitment, employee involvement, hazard prevention and control, worksite hazard analysis, and training. They also have injury and illness rates below those of their industry counterparts.
VPP encourages companies to protect workers by going well beyond minimum safety requirements. The program is built on the idea that enforcement of safety regulations alone can never fully achieve the objectives of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. STAR participants meet all VPP requirements. MERIT participants have demonstrated the potential and willingness to achieve STAR status and are implementing planned steps to fully meet STAR requirements.
The newest DOSH VPP STAR site. Perma-Fix Northwest in Richland, WA
Milgard Pultrusion PP Flag-Raising Ceremony on October 23, 2023
| Company | Address | City | No of Employees | Certification Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascensus Specialties | 4800 State Rt 12 | Elma | 64 | June 1999 |
| Solvay Chemicals | 3500 Industrial Way | Longview | 32 | July 2001 |
| Oldcastle Infrastructure | 2808 A Street SE | Auburn | 78 | May 2004 |
| Honeywell Electronic Materials | 15128 E. Euclid Ave. | Spokane | 310 | September 2005 |
| GE River Road Generating Plant | 5201 NW Lower River Rd | Vancouver | 19 | April 2006 |
| Honeywell Aerospace | 15001 NE 36th Street | Redmond | 504 | February 2007 |
| Nucor Steel Inc. | 2434 Andover Street | Seattle | 313 | September 2007 |
| Ferndale Generating Station | 5105 Lake Terrell Road | Ferndale | 19 | July 2008 |
| Jacobs | 572 Hatch Street | Walla Walla | 13 | November 2009 |
| Bayer Crop Science | 776 S Booker Road | Othello | 12 | April 2011 |
| Veolia | 3301 SE Columbia Way, Suite 160 | Vancouver | 15 | May 2014 |
| Cascades Sonoco | 4320 95th St SW Suite C | Tacoma | 35 | June 2014 |
| Mortenson Construction | 821 3rd AVE S. | Kent | 4 | December 2014 |
| NuStar Energy, Shore Terminals LLC | 250 East D Street | Tacoma | 9 | January 2015 |
| MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions | 3701 South Norfolk Street | Seattle | 95 | January 2020 |
| Perma-Fix Northwest | 2025 Battelle Blvd | Richland | 66 | August 2023 |
| Milgard Pultrusion | 2395 70th Ave E | Tacoma | 82 | September 2023 |
| NuStar Energy, Shore Terminals LLC | 2565 Harborside Drive | Vancouver | 17 | February 2024 |
| MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions | 11512 Airport Rd. Unit F700 | Everett | 43 | July 2024 |
If you want to become a recognized leader in your industry and community, and you can demonstrate a commitment to safety and health, then the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) might be right for you. VPP recognizes employers and workers in the private industry and government agencies who have implemented effective safety and health management systems and maintain injury and illness rates below national Bureau of Labor Statistics averages for their respective industries.
Everyone benefits when a company achieves VPP status:
- Employers lower their workers’ compensation costs.
- Employees come home safely after work.
- Labor and management work together cooperatively.
- Company is identified in their industry for safety and health leadership.
- Communities recognize leadership in safety and health.
And there’s more. Being a VPP work site:
- Establishes a positive working relationship with L&I's Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
- Helps you avoid surprise workplace inspections.
- Offers opportunities to network with other VPP participants.
- Creates confidence that you are in compliance with safety and health regulations.
- Honors you with a nationally recognized VPP flag to display at your work site.
Principles of VPP
In VPP, management, labor and government work cooperatively and proactively to prevent fatalities, injuries and illness.
The principals are:
- Management commitment and Employee involvement
- Hazard prevention and control
- Worksite analysis
- Training
VPP application process checklist:
- Involve management and line staff in the process.
- Complete the VPP Self Checklist for determining your site’s readiness for VPP.
- Maintain your company's Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rate and Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR) below the national average for your industry.
- Email the WA VPP Team or call them at 360-902-5431 to discuss your plans and set up an informal tour of your worksite.
- Consider a mentor and learn from someone who has successfully achieved VPP Status. The WA VPP Team can help you find someone if needed.
- Request a free, confidential full service L&I safety, health, and risk management consultation and work to ensure that all hazards are corrected.
- Submit your VPP application and PSM Supplement B (if your site is covered by the Process Safety Management (PSM) rule.
Voluntary Protection Program
- Elements of VPP
- VPP Self Checklist for Determining Your Site’s Readiness for VPP
- Gear Up For VPP
- Management of Change – Best Practices
- VPP Application
- VPP Application Supplement B for Process Safety Management (PSM) Sites
- VPP Manual
- Yearly Self – Evaluation Template for Current VPP Sites
- Yearly Self – Evaluation Supplement B for Current VPP Sites with PSM
Labor and Industries Resources Related to VPP
- L&I Safety & Health Web Site
- Recordkeeping (OSHA 300 Logs)
- Accident Prevention Program
- Request Consultation - Find out how L&I consultants can help you
- Safety Through Achieving Recognition Together (START)