Program takes safety, occupational health to next level

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WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials continue to focus on developing and caring for the safety of Airmen, civilians and their families to build a culture of safety with the Voluntary Protection Program, senior Air Force leaders said here recently.

"The Air Force implemented VPP (a few years ago) because first and foremost, it is our people who make us the world's most dominant air, space and cyberspace force," said Bill Anderson, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and logistics.

Building a culture of safety is not just a quality-of-life issue. An Airman or worker sidelined by preventable injuries and illnesses costs the Air Force money. In 2007, the civilian injury rate was 2.78 per 100 people, meaning there were 4,417 injuries and illnesses and 2,327 of those that resulted in lost time. There were more than 2,200 active duty injuries, which amounted to about 30,000 lost duty days.

The VPP takes occupational safety and health from a compliance-based program to a participation-based program, Mr. Anderson said. It drives partnership between management and labor. Program elements include management leadership and employee involvement, worksite analysis, hazard prevention and control, safety and health training, according to the OSHA's Web site.

Under VPP, employees from civilian companies who have achieved the highest levels of health and safety performance, called VPP Star sites, mentor employees at other locations, including the Air Force, to improve safety and occupational health performance.

Statistics have shown that VPP sites have 30 percent less injuries than non-VPP sites, Mr. Anderson said.

"The culture of safety must be embedded in every aspect of our professional and personal lives. In the air, on the ground, at work and at home, we want to take our safety and health programs to a higher level," said Maj. Gen. Wendell L. Griffin, the Air Force chief of safety at the Pentagon and commander of the Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. 

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