An Industry Break-Through
TheLeader
This e-version of The Leader is provided courtesy of VPPPA for members only. For reprint permission, please contact the editor at [email protected].
VPPPA’s quarterly publication on cooperative initiatives in safety, health and environmental excellence
winter 2009 >> volume 18 issue 1
OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs:
A model of Safety and Health Excellence that WOrks! Southwire Company & VPP:
An Industry Break-Through in Safety Performance
Northern Ireland Introduces Recognising Excellence Programme
VPPPA Chairperson Dave Jackson shares his view on the business case for VPP
This e-version of The Leader is provided courtesy of VPPPA for members only. For reprint permission, please contact the editor at [email protected].
Northern Ireland Introduces Recognising Excellence Programme By Sanna Raza >> Communications & Outreach Director, Editor of The Leader, VPPPA, Inc. Photos by R. Davis Layne >> Executive Director, VPPPA, Inc. 26
The Leader >> Winter 2009
This e-version of The Leader is provided courtesy of VPPPA for members only. For reprint permission, please contact the editor at [email protected].
As of October 2008, the longstanding international outreach efforts of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have come to fruition and the Recognising Excellence Programme (REP), modeled on the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP), was adopted in Northern Ireland. Back in 2004, a delegation from Ireland and Northern Ireland participated in a study tour in Washington, D.C., to learn about OSHA’s VPP. This initiative was a result of the 3rd U.S.-European Union joint conference on occupational safety and health. Both the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) in Dublin, Ireland, and the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) had agreed to work with their government, business and labor partners to pilot VPP for the purpose of recognizing employers and workers in their respective countries for excellence in worker safety and health. The pilot was to consist of eight companies, all of which had parent companies in the U.S. already participating in VPP. United States Consul General Susan Elliot hosted a reception at her residence on October 16, 2008, to mark the achievement of 3M Bangor and Invista Textiles (UK) Ltd Maydown, the first companies in Northern Ireland to be inducted into the HSENI’s new REP. VPP Participants’ Association (VPPPA) Executive Director R. Davis Layne had the pleasure of attending the ceremony along with OSHA representatives Steve Witt, director of cooperative and state programs, and Jackie DeMesme-Gray, coordinator for international affairs. “Not only am I delighted that two American-owned companies have successfully achieved this coveted status but I am also delighted that the HSENI Recognising Excellence Programme has grown out of a very productive relationship with the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration,” said Consul General Elliot. “This has seen OSHA working closely with HSENI staff helping them transpose the tried and tested Voluntary Protection Programs to a Northern Ireland setting.” “I congratulate Northern Ireland on the launch of your new Recognising Excellence Programme – the REP,” said Steven Witt, Director of OSHA’s Directorate of
[top] View of the ruins of Dunluce Castle, Northern Ireland [center] VPPPA Executive Director R. Davis Layne (center) with HSENI Chief Executive Jim Keyes (left) and HSENI’s REP Manager Cyril Anderson (right) [bottom] Waterfront in Strangford,
Northern Ireland
Cooperative and State Programs. “This is truly an amazing accomplishment made in quite a short time span.” Similarly to VPP in the United States, REP will enable participating sites to operate with incident and injury rates that are significantly below industry norms, resulting in lower insurance premiums and workers’ compensation. In an economic situation like we face today, the cost-savings realized through programs such as VPP and REP can help give sites a competitive advantage that is not to be underestimated. Furthermore, with employee involvement driving the effort, sites will develop into more productive and healthier workplaces, increasing job satisfaction and employee morale. “Too often health and safety is about negatives,” said HSENI Chairman Peter McKie at this occasion. “We count injuries and illnesses and we look for poor performance. Whilst this is important and has a rightful place, I am of strong opinion that good performance should not only be encouraged but actively recognised. This new Recognising Excellence Programme is an ideal vehicle to do just that. Both 3M and Invista are to be congratulated for stepping up to the mark and coming out on top. They are without doubt beacons of excellence when it comes to managing health and safety. I would encourage others to emulate them and reap the benefits of a truly safe and healthy workplace.” VPPPA joins HSENI Chairman Peter McKie in congratulating 3M Bangor and INVISTA Textiles. They truly are Northern Ireland’s pioneers in safety and health excellence and as such models for other sites that will hopefully follow in their footsteps, improving occupational safety and health across their country. Congratulations also go to HSENI for introducing the program and creating an opportunity to recognize and validate safety and health performance that goes beyond mere compliance. H
The Leader >> www.vpppa.org
27
This e-version of The Leader is provided courtesy of VPPPA for members only. For reprint permission, please contact the editor at [email protected].
VPPPA’s quarterly publication on cooperative initiatives in safety, health and environmental excellence
winter 2009 >> volume 18 issue 1
OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs:
A model of Safety and Health Excellence that WOrks! Southwire Company & VPP:
An Industry Break-Through in Safety Performance
Northern Ireland Introduces Recognising Excellence Programme
VPPPA Chairperson Dave Jackson shares his view on the business case for VPP
This e-version of The Leader is provided courtesy of VPPPA for members only. For reprint permission, please contact the editor at [email protected].
Northern Ireland Introduces Recognising Excellence Programme By Sanna Raza >> Communications & Outreach Director, Editor of The Leader, VPPPA, Inc. Photos by R. Davis Layne >> Executive Director, VPPPA, Inc. 26
The Leader >> Winter 2009
This e-version of The Leader is provided courtesy of VPPPA for members only. For reprint permission, please contact the editor at [email protected].
As of October 2008, the longstanding international outreach efforts of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have come to fruition and the Recognising Excellence Programme (REP), modeled on the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP), was adopted in Northern Ireland. Back in 2004, a delegation from Ireland and Northern Ireland participated in a study tour in Washington, D.C., to learn about OSHA’s VPP. This initiative was a result of the 3rd U.S.-European Union joint conference on occupational safety and health. Both the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) in Dublin, Ireland, and the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) had agreed to work with their government, business and labor partners to pilot VPP for the purpose of recognizing employers and workers in their respective countries for excellence in worker safety and health. The pilot was to consist of eight companies, all of which had parent companies in the U.S. already participating in VPP. United States Consul General Susan Elliot hosted a reception at her residence on October 16, 2008, to mark the achievement of 3M Bangor and Invista Textiles (UK) Ltd Maydown, the first companies in Northern Ireland to be inducted into the HSENI’s new REP. VPP Participants’ Association (VPPPA) Executive Director R. Davis Layne had the pleasure of attending the ceremony along with OSHA representatives Steve Witt, director of cooperative and state programs, and Jackie DeMesme-Gray, coordinator for international affairs. “Not only am I delighted that two American-owned companies have successfully achieved this coveted status but I am also delighted that the HSENI Recognising Excellence Programme has grown out of a very productive relationship with the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration,” said Consul General Elliot. “This has seen OSHA working closely with HSENI staff helping them transpose the tried and tested Voluntary Protection Programs to a Northern Ireland setting.” “I congratulate Northern Ireland on the launch of your new Recognising Excellence Programme – the REP,” said Steven Witt, Director of OSHA’s Directorate of
[top] View of the ruins of Dunluce Castle, Northern Ireland [center] VPPPA Executive Director R. Davis Layne (center) with HSENI Chief Executive Jim Keyes (left) and HSENI’s REP Manager Cyril Anderson (right) [bottom] Waterfront in Strangford,
Northern Ireland
Cooperative and State Programs. “This is truly an amazing accomplishment made in quite a short time span.” Similarly to VPP in the United States, REP will enable participating sites to operate with incident and injury rates that are significantly below industry norms, resulting in lower insurance premiums and workers’ compensation. In an economic situation like we face today, the cost-savings realized through programs such as VPP and REP can help give sites a competitive advantage that is not to be underestimated. Furthermore, with employee involvement driving the effort, sites will develop into more productive and healthier workplaces, increasing job satisfaction and employee morale. “Too often health and safety is about negatives,” said HSENI Chairman Peter McKie at this occasion. “We count injuries and illnesses and we look for poor performance. Whilst this is important and has a rightful place, I am of strong opinion that good performance should not only be encouraged but actively recognised. This new Recognising Excellence Programme is an ideal vehicle to do just that. Both 3M and Invista are to be congratulated for stepping up to the mark and coming out on top. They are without doubt beacons of excellence when it comes to managing health and safety. I would encourage others to emulate them and reap the benefits of a truly safe and healthy workplace.” VPPPA joins HSENI Chairman Peter McKie in congratulating 3M Bangor and INVISTA Textiles. They truly are Northern Ireland’s pioneers in safety and health excellence and as such models for other sites that will hopefully follow in their footsteps, improving occupational safety and health across their country. Congratulations also go to HSENI for introducing the program and creating an opportunity to recognize and validate safety and health performance that goes beyond mere compliance. H
The Leader >> www.vpppa.org
27
