OSHA launches online portal for VPP applications

Washington — OSHA has a new online portal for employers to submit applications to the agency’s Voluntary Protection Programs.

VPP is a collaboration among government, industry and labor intended to encourage best practices in employee safety and health. Employers submit their safety records and policies when they apply for VPP status and, if accepted, continue to promote safety at their sites, as well as help other employers improve their safety practices on their way to VPP status. VPP sites are exempt from programmed inspections.

According to an agency press release, the portal allows OSHA to review applications in real time and employers to correct errors/omissions more quickly. Qualified organizations with “mature safety and health management systems” can apply to VPP via the new portal.

“Applicants can use the portal to upload electronic versions of supporting documentation,” the release states, “and they can stop and complete their application at a later time without having to restart. Alternatively, after completing an applicant profile, they may download an application form to complete offline and submit their application materials by mail.”

OSHA initiated VPP in 1982 “to recognize cooperative action among government, industry and labor, as a means of addressing worker safety and health issues, and expanding worker protection.”

In the release, OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary Jim Frederick said: “Companies in the Voluntary Protection Programs go above and beyond basic OSHA requirements and strive to create a culture of safety. This important program comprises sites that serve as models of excellence and influence safety and health practices in all industries.”