In the news three days ago, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) partnered with yet another company in its desire to improve the health and safety of workers all throughout the country. This is the thrust of OSHA’s Strategic Partnership Program (OSPP).

In OSSP, a company and OSHA will come up with a unique and customized agreement with specific goals, strategies and performance measures that will be set in place for the benefit of the company. Such program – which is based on OSHA’s existing guidelines – is hoped to encourage, assist and recognize the efforts of stakeholders such as the employers, employees, professional or trade associations, labor organizations, and even State On-site Consultation projects to be models of safe and healthy workplaces.

Marlette Homes – a company that specializes in building, selling, financing and insuring manufactured homes – will receive assistance from OSHA in the areas of safety and health management systems. This will ensure that its workers – both the management and the employees – will be protected from injuries and illnesses by effectively identifying, reducing and eliminating hazards in the workplace. In return, the company must promote, institute and maintain risk analysis, hazard prevention and control, and training amongst its workers. Marlette Homes must do all these aside from managing the workplace and encouraging leadership and employee involvement.

When this company from Lewistown, Pennsylvania, is able to maintain or even reduce its injury and illness rates based on OSHA’s standards, it can then apply and be part of OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) for a period of two years.

So what is this VPP for? VPP is actually OSHA’s way of recognizing employers and employees who are commendable for their occupational safety and health management systems. In this way, it promotes these kinds of system all the more. The VPP establishes cooperative relationships among the management, the labor force and OSHA. Such cooperation reduces the number of injuries and illnesses in the workplace which translates to greater profits that benefit the employers as well as the employees. The VPP recognition also puts a good name and positive outlook on the company.

What lessons can be learned from OSHA’s OSPP and VPP?

• Submit to the authorities. They have been placed there for very special purposes. Refer to the laws and standards, policies and regulations as well as rules and programs of OSHA. Try to meet them as much as possible. This is for your own good.
• Maximize the opportunities offered by OSHA such as the Strategic Partnership Program. This is an effective safeguard for the safety and health systems that you have in your workplace and will even encourage you to improve on these.
• Aim to meet the standards of the OSPP so that your company can be eligible for the Voluntary Protection Program. It is one thing to cooperate with OSHA in regards to your safety and health management systems and it is another thing to be commended for this and to set an exemplary example to other workplaces.
• There’s no way but up. Always aim for improvement – for the good of all the stakeholders.
• Cooperation and open communication are effective keys in intra- and inter-organizational relationships. Make use of them.

Marlette Homes is an addition to the many entities that have joined OSPP. It is hoped that the company and OSHA will have a healthy working relationship for the benefit of both. Maybe it is time to assess your own safety and health management systems too.