 |
©iStockphoto.com/René Mansi
|
Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for
OSHA, spoke at the Voluntary Protection Programs Participants' Association
(VPPPA) annual meeting in National Harbor, MD, on Aug 25, 2014. OSHA's
Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) establishes cooperative relationships
between OSHA and workplaces that have implemented a comprehensive safety and
health management system.
VPP participants play a major role in the success of safety
campaigns. One of OSHA's major focuses as of late is to make sure temporary workers
are protected from workplace hazards. Michaels urged VPPPA members to take part
in the agency's temporary worker initiative by promoting OSHA's new recommended
practices.
Despite OSHA’s focus on making the
VPP as effective as it can be, adequate financial resources are not always available
to fund many initiatives, including the agency’s top priorities. In response,
Michaels explains, OSHA is constantly improving its internal process to vet the
highest quality applicants possible to be accepted in the program.