DOE/EH-0521 --- Issue 99-3 --- April 1999

VPPPA Regional Conferences Present Opportunities

Department of Energy (DOE) Federal staff and contractors are encouraged to consider the opportunities at the upcoming regional series of Voluntary Protection Program Participants' Association (VPPPA) conferences. Attending these conferences can be a useful means to improve safety and health efforts as DOE personnel strive to reach or maintain excellence. Many of these conferences are accredited by professional organizations, and attendees can receive maintenance points for their participation.

Regional conferences offer opportunities for training, information exchange on best practices, and networking with the private sector. Using these opportunities to learn from and assist the private sector enhances our commitment to the principles of Vice President Gore’s National Partnership for Reinventing Government initiative.

In his State of the Union address, President Clinton said the federal government has been reinvented to meet the nation’s needs: “Thanks to the pioneering leadership of Vice President Gore…Once again, our government is a progressive instrument of the common good, rooted in our oldest values: opportunity, responsibility, community; devoted to fiscal responsibility, determined to give our people the tools they need to make the most of their own lives.”

Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association (VPPPA)
The VPPPA, a nonprofit organization, is a leader in safety, health, and environmental excellence through cooperative efforts among labor, management, and government. As part of its efforts to share the benefits of cooperative programs, the VPPPA works closely with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), DOE, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the development and implementation of cooperative programs. The VPPPA also provides expertise to these groups in the form of comments and stakeholder feedback on agency rulemakings and policies.

VPPPA members include more than 450 companies and work sites that are involved in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) or DOE’s VPP, and government agencies that are developing or implementing cooperative recognition programs.

VPPPA Regional Conferences
The VPPPA Regional Conferences offer attendees
an opportunity to share information concerning “best practices” in the field of environment, safety, and health. The workshops, presentations, and professional interaction at these conferences is a value-added opportunity for workers, supervisors, and managers. These regional conferences permit companies to provide networking and learning opportunities to more people at a lower cost.

Region I
(Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)
The Region I VPPPA Annual Conference will be held June 16, 1999, at Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts. Please contact Cathy Anton at (413) 783-1632 for more information.

Region II
(New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands)
The 1999 Region II VPP Conference will be held June 9-10, 1999, at the Holiday Inn on Turf Road in Albany, New York. The conference will also include an Application Workshop and Strengthening Star Quality workshop on June 11, 1999. Former Astronaut Fred Haise has been selected to be the keynote speaker at the conference. Please contact Michael Vigezzi at (908) 522-3957 for more information. Region II is also looking for volunteers to assist at the conference or to help put together breakout sessions. Anyone interested in assisting Region II should contact Ed Vivlemore at (315) 341-0219.

Region III
(District of Columbia., Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia)
The Region III VPP conference will be held
June 24-25, 1999, at the Doubletree Hotel in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ken Moseley from Georgia Pacific is the Chairman for the conference. Region III welcomes ideas and volunteers; they are hoping for help from their Virginia members. Please contact Ken for more information at (804) 634-5123.

Region IV
(Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee)
The 9th Annual Region IV Conference “VPP & Safety – A Winner Every Time” will be held at the Beau Rivage Hotel-Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, May 13-14, 1999. For information about the conference, please contact Keith Romines at (941) 747-4461.

Region V
(Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin)
The Region V VPP conference will be held June 14-16, 1999, at the Renaissance Hotel, Cleveland, Ohio, with an Application Workshop on June 16, 1999. Region V is looking for help from the Region V membership. Each member site will receive a fax asking for volunteers to work on a breakout session for the conference. Please contact Jodi Shapiro for conference information at (847) 632-6553.

Region VI
(Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas)
Region VI’s 1999 annual conference is scheduled for March 1-3, 1999, at the Hyatt Regency Austin on Town Lake, Austin, Texas. Conference information can be obtained by contacting Mary Ann Parsons at (281) 884-4019 or email Mary_Ann_Parsons@oxy.com or Debbie Carlisle at (409) 942-3349 or email Dcarlisle@Sterlingchemicals.com.

Region VII
(Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska)
Region VII will hold its conference April 27-28, 1999, at the Capital Plaza in Topeka, Kansas. There will also be an Application Workshop on April 26, 1999. For more information, contact Mick Anderson. Region VII at (308) 233-5428.

Region IX
(Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada)
The Region IX VPP Conference is scheduled for May 12, 1999, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. There will be an Application Workshop on May 13, 1999. Coordinating the efforts for the conference are George Kalfayan, Motorola-SSG, with support and VPPPA staff assistance from Region IX OSHA Federal and State VPP Coordinators. If you would like more information or to become involved in Region IX activities, please contact George Kalfayan at (602) 441-6672.

Region X
(Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington)
Region X VPP Conference dates are April 28-29, 1999, with an Application Workshop on April 30, 1999. The conference will be held at the Couer d’Alene Resort in Couer d’Alene, Idaho. For more information, please contact Linda Stoneberg at (360) 902-5554.

Safety & Health Notes