Marine Corps base Quantico -- On Nov. 5 representatives from Marine Corps Base Quantico signed a charter committing the base to a workplace safety improvement effort known as the Voluntary Protection Program. James Whitaker, a safety specialist with Base Safety Division, made opening remarks and said that VPP will be incorporated into current work practices to improve communication and safety for all employees.
The VPP was inspired by collaborative worker safety efforts during the construction of the San Onofre nuclear power plant in California in 1979 and was formally established in 1982.
According to Terry Penn from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, “there are over 2,200 work sites participating in the VPP today.” All organizations that fall under OSHA’s jurisdiction are eligible to participate in the program. Penn said “we find that morale among employees is higher” when organizations participate in the program because active involvement shows the employer is concerned about employee welfare.
During the signing event, Penn identified the four primary elements of the VPP: management leadership and employee involvement, worksite analysis, hazard prevention and control, and safety and health training. Though the program is overseen by OSHA, and OSHA grants the safety status rating at the end of the evaluation period, individual departments and units aboard the base are responsible for implementing safe practices specific to the different working conditions at each worksite. Base Safety Division provides guidance to the various tenants and conducts regular inspections to ensure compliance with regulations.
The overarching goal of the VPP is to reduce injuries in the workplace and lost time due to those injuries.
Kurt Vimont, the deputy director of Base Safety Division, said that successful implementation of the VPP will increase employee retention through improved working environments and communication between uniformed and civilian employees and their supervisors.
The VPP will also have a direct impact on workers’ compensation payouts, which come from the base’s operating budget. Vimont said, “There have been between $600,000 and $1.2 million in workers’ compensation claims per year over the last 10 years” aboard the base. One specific example of a recent claim comes from an employee who was moving scrap metal off a truck by himself, which resulted in him pulling the tendons in his arm.
According to Vimont, when VPP is fully implemented, all organizations aboard the base will have safety guidelines in place, and both managers and employees will be familiar with them and how to conduct work safely, thereby greatly reducing preventable injuries like that.
Vimont held up Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, as an example of an installation that has benefitted greatly from participating in the VPP. He said the base had reduced workers’ compensation claims from approximately $600,000 to $32,000 over the last three years by instituting a culture of safety.
During the VPP charter signing event, representatives from NASA’s Langley Research Center and Raytheon spoke about their organizations’ experiences with the program and shared lessons learned with the attendees.
According to OSHA, “Initiating the VPP process begins with management committing to the improvement of worksite safety and health and to meeting the criteria of VPP.” Once an organization has fully developed a safety program, and all leaders and employees are participating, the organization can submit an application to OSHA for star status. Star status “recognizes employers and employees who have an exemplary safety and health management system, with injury/illness rates at or below the national average of their respective industries.” Upon receipt of the application, OSHA will do a thorough inspection of the installation and its worksites and determine whether it meets the requirements. If it does, the installation must maintain its safe practices for a year to receive the star certification.
To date, Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, California, and MCLB Albany, Georgia, have already received star certification, and Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and MCAS Beaufort have initiated applications. Vimont hopes to be able to submit an application in about a year, meaning MCBQ could receive star status by the end of 2016.
ebaker@quanticosentryonline.com