DOE/EH-0359 --- Issue No. 94-03 --- 02/94

DOE-VPP Approved

Secretary Hazel R. O'Leary approved the initiation of the Department of Energy's Voluntary Protection Program (DOE-VPP) on January 26, 1994. The Program, which embodies many elements of Total Quality Management, is designed to recognize contractor facilities that have excellent worker safety and health programs.

DOE-VPP identifies areas where contractors perform beyond minimum compliance with DOE Orders and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards by promoting cooperative partnerships between labor and management. Employees are afforded a unique role in reducing and controlling workplace hazards by becoming an integral part of the Program. DOE-VPP also provides an opportunity for contractors to receive Secretarial and public recognition. Participants in the DOE-VPP will benefit from a diminished need for oversight activities, fewer instances of noncompliance, and improved communication between labor and management, as well as possible reductions in injury and illness rates and compensation costs.

To enhance the effectiveness of the Program, an Interagency Agreement was signed between DOE and OSHA on January 25, 1994. Under this Agreement, both agencies will share resources for the purpose of staffing both DOE and OSHA VPP site evaluation teams. The Agreement also provides for OSHA approval of DOE-VPP sites, if future OSHA oversight of DOE facilities occurs under pending OSHA reform legislation.

DOE-VPP is patterned after OSHA's VPP and is based upon the following five tenets:

  1. Management Leadership
  2. Employee Involvement
  3. Worksite Analysis
  4. Hazard Prevention and Control
  5. Safety and Health Training

The three levels of recognition available under the Program are as follows:

STAR - MERIT - DEMONSTRATION

STAR status is awarded to truly outstanding contractor safety and health programs that have successfully implemented all program tenets. Acceptance into this category is not a one-time only achievement. Star status sites are subject to triennial reevaluation by DOE-VPP teams to successfully maintain that status.

MERIT status identifies contractors who have the most tenets successfully in place but are not quite Star quality. The recipients in this category must demonstrate a commitment to attain Star status within an agreed period of time (not to exceed 5 years).

DEMONSTRATION status recognizes contractors with excellent safety and health programs in areas that are unfamiliar to DOE staff. Approval requirements to determine whether Demonstration programs are worthy of Star status will be researched by DOE staff within 5 years. This status provides flexibility without compromising the integrity of Star standards.

Documents detailing the DOE-VPP and an announcement of the date for acceptance of applications from DOE contractors will be forthcoming from the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health. For more information on the DOE-VPP, call Sanjeeva Kanth (EH-312) at (301) 903-4516.

This Safety Note is one in a series of publications issued by EH to share occupational safety information throughout the DOE complex. To be added to the Distribution List or to obtain copies of the publication, call (615)576-75480. For additional information regarding the publications, call Barbara Bowers, Safety Performance Indicator Division, Office of Environment, Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585, (301)903-3016.

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