Workplace safety and Health STAR Voluntary Protection Program Logo

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.

See the Videos from the 2023 or 2024 Voluntary Protection Program Seminar: Melvin E. James Honorary Lectures on Safety and Health

Group photo of PermaFix employees holding the STAR flag.

The newest DOSH VPP STAR site. Perma-Fix Northwest in Richland, WA

Group photo of Milgard Pultrusion employees raising the STAR flag.

Milgard Pultrusion PP Flag-Raising Ceremony on October 23, 2023

List of Current VPP Sites
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
Phillips 66 Pipeline Co. 2423 Lind Ave SW Renton 2 May 2011
Phillips 66 Pipeline Co. 520 East "D" Street, Tacoma 10 March 2012
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​

Overview

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
Applying for VPP

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.
VPP Resources

For More Information