2015 Spring Leader - Safety: The Universal Language?

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2, SPRING 2015SAFETY: THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE?



letter to the editor New!T hank you for taking part in our survey “Keep up the fantastic “I am an hourly VPP coordinator so I on The Leader. Congratulations to the work at the National would like to see more about hourly winners of our Amazon gift cards: Conventions, as well as input, especially since this is an• Chuck Last, Mission Athletecare the strong support shown employee driven program.”• Larry Rattray, Northwestern Energy to the regions. Continue• Kelly Hebert, Savage Services your efforts on Capitol Hill “I really like the infographic section, I• Brian Williams, Fiberteq, LLC and with OSHA as well. use that in a lot of training sessions.”• Teri Ard, Johns Manville It is good to know you have our backs!” “Tell us about new safety products We received overwhelmingly positive and PPE.”feedback and some helpful constructivecriticism. Thank you all for taking the time to “Please include more articles on “I love that the articles assisttell us what you want to see in the magazine! safety improvements and provide with improving safety in ourBecause of you, our summer issue’s theme more ideas from other facilities. institutions.”will be devoted to “Best Practices.” Share Share more success stories.”your own best practices with other VPPPA “Make it easier to get copiesmembers by contributing an article to “I like the feature articles and you of The Leader to give out orthe magazine. Contact Sarah Neely at do well researching all the topics make the subscription electronic.”[email protected] for more information. and finding relevant information.” “Add more information for sites whoThings we learned: are still working toward a VPP Star.”• 70 percent of respondents would like the option to view The Leader online in addition “Feature more fun items like “what’s wrong with this to a seeing a hard copy. We are pleased picture” and have people send in the violations or to announce that this will be possible in safety issues that they see.” November 2015! Tell us what you think!• 82 percent of respondents rated the overall quality of the magazine as excellent, Do you have feedback about The Leader? “Letter to the Editor” is a new section of the magazine that gives or good. VPPPA members a platform to provide feedback on the topics covered, feature articles, chapter round- ups and other magazine sections. Tell us what you want to see more of! Help us continue to improve our• 81 percent of respondents who do not receive publication by providing your opinions, both positive and negative, so that we can tailor content to your the magazine said they would like their interests and needs. prime contact to share issues with them. Printed letters may be anonymous and will not be edited for content but will be edited for spelling and• Many of the suggested future topics or regular grammar. Avoid using profanity or derogatory, inflammatory language in your response. Lastly, please features for the magazine include legislative provide feedback relevant to the most recent issue of the magazine. analysis; more relevant regional information about outreach, new sites and training; more Send letters to the editor to Sarah Neely at [email protected] by June 30, 2015, for an information on new regulations; compliance opportunity to see your letter in our summer issue. We want to hear from YOU! and best practices.• The most frequent comment that was stated throughout the responses was a request to hear from other VPPPA members. If you are interested in telling your VPP story, please contact us. Your peers want to learn from your experiences! THE LEADER vpppa.org 3

LTHEEADER CONTENTSVOL 2. ISSUE 2 SPRING 2015 cover features 8 Safety: The Universal 12Tackling Taboo their way to meeting with more than Language? Topics: “Pregnant 100 different congressional offices to Literacy and Language Worker” & “Unborn Child” share their worksites’ experiences with Challenges in the the Voluntary Protection Programs Workplace After a 30-year sleep, workplace safety (VPP). Through the VPP Participants’ is undergoing a great transformation. Association’s (VPPPA) congressional As the American “melting pot” All workplaces and nearly all workplace outreach initiatives, safety and becomes increasingly diversified, hazards will be impacted. Approximately health professionals have met with employers face inevitable issues 75 percent of all women workers will hundreds of House and Senate offices related to language in the workplace. become pregnant sometime during their to bring attention to OSHA’s premier Employers who hire non-English working careers. Although the statistic cooperative program. speaking workers are obligated to varies, about half of the U.S. workforce ensure that all employees, regardless is made up of women. The health of 20Want to know how of their linguistic background, receive more than one-half of all newborns in to increase safety and comprehend safety-related the U.S. may be impacted by workplace and performance without training. This article outlines OSHA’s exposures. The topic is taboo; people substantial added costs? policies with respect to training non- know what I’m talking about but they English speaking employees, discusses respond in whispers. Workers with disabilities are some of the OSHA’s recent emphasis program most productive and safe employees in on ensuring employees are provided 16Being heard: Sharing manufacturing plants and distribution training in their native language, the VPP Experience centers around the world. Over the analyzes potential discrimination issues past 10 years there has been talk that may arise by limiting a safety Huddled together over breakfast about the Baby Boomers retiring and training program to English only and and, more importantly, coffee in a the upcoming labor shortages. This offers recommendations for employers Capitol Hill cafeteria, nearly two dozen discussion will continue over the next in assuring that all employees are individuals look over their schedules decade and beyond, and we must adequately trained to work safely. for the coming day. Braving a bit look for non-traditional labor pools to fill of late February snow, these safety the gap. One option is the emerging4 THE LEADER vpppa.org and health professionals are well on trend of hiring people with disabilities.

Additionally, over 250,000 federal features continued www.vpppa.orgcontractors and sub-contractors arenow impacted by a new requirement 28Spanish-Speakers VPPPA National Board of Directorsof the Department of Labor, Section 503 and Safety: Whatof the Rehabilitation Act, effective Everyone Needs to Know ChairpersonMarch 24, 2014, requiring companies Mike Maddox, NuStar Energy, LPthat do business with the federal Misunderstandings due to culturalgovernment to significantly increase their differences, language barriers and Vice Chairpersonworkforce of people with disabilities. vastly different backgrounds often Mike Guillory, SGE, The Brock Group limit productivity and unnecessarily24A Surprising Solution divide the workforce. From safety Treasurer to Increasing inspections, corrective actions, near miss Chris Adolfson, Idaho National LaboratoryEmployee Engagement reporting, feedback, daily inspection checklists, toolbox safety talks, to SecretaryThe question asked by countless safety training and emergency action plans; Terry Schulte, NuStar Energy, LPprofessionals as they continue to improve training workers in all of the varioustheir VPP strategy is one for which there aspects of a safety program is tough Director from a Site With a Collectivenever seems to be a good, clear-cut enough. Add into the mix, non-English- Bargaining Agentanswer. “How do I increase my site’s speaking workers and it can be very Kent Lang, Clearwater Paper Corporationemployee engagement?” Consider the overwhelming.fact that 19 percent of the workforce Director from a Site Without a Collectivewill be Latino by 2020, (according to the 40Mentoring—A VPPPA Bargaining AgentDepartment of Labor) and that figure Opportunity Rob Henson, LyondellBaselldoes not even include other workers whodo not speak English as a first language. You made it, now you are a Star site! Director from a DOE-VPP Site It is a wonderful achievement, but Stacy Thursby, Washington Closure Hanfordsections there is more work to be done to keep improving safety at your site—a never- Director from a VPP Contractor/GLOBAL SAFETY AND 6 ending process. One way to continue Construction Site HEALTH WATCH the process of improvement is to observe Richard McConnell, Austin Industrial the procedures and practices other at LyondellBasellWASHINGTON UPDATE 7 companies use to implement safety. Director-at-LargeVPPPA NATIONAL 32 Look for these topics highlighted in the Bill Harkins, Chevron Phillips CONFERENCE top right corner of each section. Chemical CompanyMEMBER SPOTLIGHT 34 G overnment Director-at-Large J.A. Rodriguez, Jr., CSP, SGE , RaytheonMEMBER INFO CORNER 36 M embership Technical Services Company LLCINFOGRAPHIC CORNER 37 H ealth Director-at-Large Kristyn Grow, CSP, CHMM, SGE Business Cintas Corporation Outreach Director-at-Large Don Johnson, Phillips 66STATE-PLAN MONITOR 38 EditorVPPPA CHAPTER ROUND-UPS 42 Sarah Neely, VPPPA, Inc.CALENDAR OF EVENTS 46 Editorial Mission The Leader (ISSN 1081-261X) is published quarterly for VPPPA members. The Leader delivers articles from members for members, safety and health best practices, developments in the field of occupational safety and health, association activities, educational and networking opportunities and the latest VPP approvals. Subscriptions are available for members as part of their membership benefits and at a 50 percent discount beyond the complimentary allotment. The nonmember subscription rate is $25 a year. Ideas and opinions expressed within The Leader represent the independent views of the authors. Postmaster >> Please send address changes to: VPPPA, Inc. • 7600-E Leesburg Pike • Ste. 100 Falls Church, VA 22043-2004 VPPPA, Inc., the premier global safety and health organization, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization that promotes advances in worker safety and health excellence through best practices and cooperative efforts among workers, employers, the government and communities. THE LEADER vpppa.org 5

global safety and health watch“Ticked Off”BY BENJAMIN MASSOUD, According to Are you at risk? Ticks are generally foundCOMMUNICATIONS the CDC, in heavily-wooded or grassy areas; therefore,COORDINATOR, VPPPA, INC. there were OSHA advises workers in forestry, construction, more than farming, landscaping and other professions thatY ou can typically find them on dogs, deer, 35,000 reported require outdoor work, to take precautions. Off field mice and sometimes even yourself; cases of Lyme the job, outside leisure activities including hiking, if they are not removed quickly enough, Disease in camping, fishing and hunting, are additionalyour life could be changed forever. the U.S. in 2013. opportunities for tick exposure. When outdoors, the CDC advises using repellants that contain Although very small (2.7mm), ticks are area. If left untreated, the rash may clear, leaving 20 to 30 percent DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-a major cause of the most rapidly spreading a “bulls-eye” mark on the skin. toluamide) on exposed skin and clothing to detervector-borne disease in the world, Lyme ticks. Furthermore, it is recommended to useDisease. The disease is caused by the bacterium A tick bite does not automatically spell products that contain permethrin on clothing.Borrelia burgdorferi, and is usually transmitted disaster. It is important to spot the bite earlyto humans and animals through the bite of and continue with prompt removal using a How big of an issue is this? Accordinginfected, blood-feeding, backlegged (deer) plain set of fine-tipped tweezers. Additionally, if to the CDC, there were more than 35,000ticks. Hard to spot, a tick will typically remain recognized early enough, Lyme Disease can be reported cases of Lyme Disease in the U.S.attached after a bite, and will likely not be seen treated with antibiotic medication. However, in 2013. However, that number does notor even felt, that is, until the bacterium begins according to the Occupational Safety and take into account the thousands of infectedto spread and the symptoms of Lyme Disease Health Administration (OSHA), if a tick bite people who do not report the disease.start to take effect. According to the Centers goes untreated, chronic conditions, including Although there have been reported Lymefor Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it permanent damage to the joints or nervous Disease cases in all states except Hawaii,takes 36-48 hours or more before the bacterium system, may occur. The CDC provides step-by- the majority of cases occur in the Northeastcan be transmitted. Early symptoms include step instructions to ensure the proper removal (Massachusetts to Maryland) and the upperfatigue, chills, fever, headache and muscle and of a tick: Midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan,joint aches. Sounds an awful lot like common 1. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as etc.). As the prevalence of ticks continuesindicators of the flu. So how do you differentiate to spread, Lyme Disease is now endemic inLyme Disease from other common illnesses? close to the skin’s surface as possible. over 60 countries. There is a heavy incidenceAlthough it doesn’t occur in every case (70–80 2. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. of European Castor Bean Ticks in Europe’spercent of cases), usually in the early stage after temperate forested regions, namely in thea bite, between three and thirty days, a red, Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause central and eastern countries of the continent.expanding rash called erythema migrans (EM), the mouth-parts to break off and remain Additionally, Northern Asia is also a hotspotwill start to develop on the skin of the affected in the skin. If this happens, remove the for ticks. mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with The crucial thing to remember, in addition to clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the wearing the proper preventive clothing and tick skin heal. repellants, is to examine your body immediately 3. After removing the tick, thoroughly clean following any amount of time you spend in grassy the bite area and your hands with rubbing or heavily-wooded, outdoor areas. In addition alcohol, an iodine scrub or soap and water. to the symptoms mentioned earlier, a failure to 4. Dispose of a live tick by submersing it in remove a tick can ultimately cause neurological alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, symptoms, including facial palsy and neuropathy, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it and cognitive defects such as impaired memory. down the toilet. Never crush a tick with Don’t let something so small, have such a large, your fingers. negative impact on your life. References: • wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2014/ chapter-3-infectious-diseases-related-to- travel/lyme-disease • www.cdc.gov/Lyme/ • www.osha.gov/dts/shib/shib021103.html6 THE LEADER vpppa.org

washington updateProposed OSHA Budget in that program, stating, “In 2016, our effort is “Our aim for 2016 to make sure that we have more businesses that is to expand VPPThe Department of Labor’s (DOL) are in [VPP].” because we think it isproposed budget for Fiscal Year 2016 a great program.”(FY2016), beginning in October 2015, The next day, the secretary testified before —Secretary Perezincludes an increase for the budget category the House Committee on Education and thecontaining the Occupational Safety and Workforce where he faced a similar question from Honduras Worker Rights ReportHealth Administration’s (OSHA) Voluntary Rep. Tim Walberg (R MI-7). Sec. Perez assured from DOLProtection Programs (VPP). While Congress him that OSHA will not remove any current siteis almost assured to pass a radically different from SHARP. Rep. Walberg also asked about As part of the Dominican Republic-budget, the proposal offers a guideline for the the department’s commitment to VPP and the Central America-United States Free Tradeadministration’s priorities. secretary shared, “Our aim for 2016 is to expand Agreement (CAFTA-DR), DOL has released VPP because we think it is a great program.” a report citing concerns about workers’ The topline requested figure for OSHA rights to organize and bargain, workingis $592 million, an increase over the $552 Hazard Alert for Stone conditions, hours and wages and childmillion appropriated in fiscal years 2015 Countertop Silica labor in Honduras. The report is a resultand 2014. Almost half of the increase is for of a submission filed by the AFL-CIOfederal enforcement activities. The next largest OSHA and the National Institute for and 26 Honduran groups. The Honduranbeneficiaries are Whistleblower Programs and Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) government has stated its intent to workCompliance Assistance—Federal, the latter of have issued a hazard alert describing the with the U.S. to address these concerns,which includes VPP. A $4.6 million increase danger posed from the manufacture, as stipulated as part of the CAFTA-DRbrings the proposed budget for that category finishing or installation of natural and agreement.up from $68.4 million to $73 million. If manufactured stone countertop productsenacted, this would restore funding to levels due to silica exposure. The alert details ways THE LEADER vpppa.orglast seen in 2011–2012. VPP is not broken to avoid exposure through controls andout within this category, but the budget other methods, which can be downloadedjustification provides further insight. OSHA as a PDF at www.osha.gov/Publications/states that it will seek to expand the role of OSHA3768.pdf. The agencies issued theSpecial Government Employees (SGE) and alert after numerous workers in Spain andthat “these changes will lead to an increase Israel were reported to have developedin VPP evaluations conducted and new VPP silicosis from similar work.applications processed, and the increase notedfor FY2016 is largely due to these efficiencies.”That increase is a stated target of new andre-approvals of 315 sites for FY2016, up froma FY2015 target of 285. For further details onthe budget, visit www.dol.gov/dol/budget/.Budget Hearings AddressVPP, SHARPSecretary of Labor Thomas Perez testifiedbefore two House committees to discuss theDepartment of Labor’s proposed FY2016budget. On March 17, 2015, the HouseCommittee on Appropriations Subcommitteefor Labor, Health and Human Services,Education and Related Agencies, heard fromthe secretary. Rep. Martha Roby (R AL-2)asked about a November 2014 memo fromOSHA that sought to remove sites from theSafety and Health Achievement RecognitionProgram (SHARP) that were subsidiaries oflarger companies that normally would notbe eligible for participation and steer themtoward VPP approval. Sec. Perez stated thatin response to feedback on the policy change,existing SHARP sites will be allowed to remain 7

SAFETY:8 THE LEADER vpppa.org

TLHANEGUUNAIVGEER?SALLITERACY AND LANGUAGE CHALLENGES IN THE WORKPLACEINTRODUCTION BY MARK A. LIES II ANDAs the American “melting KERRY M. MOHAN,pot” becomes increasinglydiverse, employers face SEYFARTH SHAW LLPinevitable issues related tolanguage in the workplace. OSHA’s Training RequirementsEmployers can no longerassume that qualified workers Numerous OSHA standards, from lockout/tagout to forklift operation and bloodborne pathogensspeak or write in English. to hazard communication, require employers to train or instruct employees in some way. OSHAEmployers who hire non- generally treats its training requirements as performance-based, meaning that OSHA defers to eachEnglish speaking workers are individual employer to fashion the most effective manner by which to accomplish the goal of theobligated to ensure that all standard. For that reason, none of OSHA’s training standards require employers to use particularemployees, regardless of documents, teaching methods or language to train employees. Instead, OSHA requires employees totheir linguistic background, present information in a manner that employees are capable of understanding.receive and comprehendsafety-related training. For For example, if an employee is not literate, the employer does not satisfy OSHA trainingemployers whose supervisors requirements merely by telling the employee to read training materials or safety programs.only speak English, the Likewise, if an employee does not speak, read or understand English, training must be providedOccupational Safety and in a language the employee understands.Health Administration’s(OSHA) requirements can OSHA has tasked each of its inspectors with the duty to determine whether the trainingpresent unique challenges. provided by an employer satisfies the intent of the standard—i.e. whether employees receivingThis article outlines OSHA’s the training have actually understood that training. Obviously, this is a highly subjectivepolicies with respect to exercise. One way that an OSHA inspector will make this evaluation is to interview employees.training non-English speaking These interviews may or may not take place in the presence of a management representative.employees, discusses OSHA’s During the interviews, OSHA inspectors may attempt to hold employees to high standards ofrecent emphasis program knowledge, asking employees fact-specific questions regarding hazards, signs and symptoms ofon ensuring employees are illness or injury or specifics about an employer’s program. In some cases, the OSHA inspectorprovided training in their may use an employee’s inability to memorize specific facts to claim that training either did notnative language, analyzes occur or was too technical or complicated for an employee to understand.potential discriminationissues that may arise by Another issue involving employee interviews is whether the employee speaks English. Manylimiting a safety training OSHA inspectors are bilingual, particularly in Spanish, and those who are not may request anotherprogram to English-only and employee to act as an interpreter to translate during an employee interview. Translation issues canoffers recommendations for present potential bias problems during employee interviews, whether the interpreter is anotheremployers in ensuring that all employee, a management representative or an OSHA official. For this reason, employers mustemployees are adequately ensure that employees understand their right to have a management representative present duringtrained to work safely. the interview. Employers may also consider requesting that a neutral third-party act as interpreter during the employee interview, particularly if the interview is a critical one and accuracy is an important consideration. THE LEADER vpppa.org 9

Employers who fashion Another way OSHA inspectors will they understood the minimal training they “English-only” policies, evaluate an employer’s compliance with safety received.” Id. prohibiting employees training standards is by determining how the from speaking languages employer communicates other workplace rules OSHA has also increased the potential other than English at all and policies to employees, particularly job liability and penalties that may be imposed for times in the workplace, instructions—i.e. other non-safety policies or training violations. For instance, recent case are presumed to be procedures. If these other job instructions are law from the Occupational Safety and Health discriminating on the given in Spanish, for example, OSHA will likely Review Commission validated OSHA’s ability basis of an employee’s view English-only safety training as insufficient. to issue citations under its training standards national origin. on a per-employee basis, meaning that OSHA Ultimately, the OSHA inspector will can issue a separate citation and penalty10 THE LEADER vpppa.org determine, based on a review of all of the for each and every employee who did not gathered facts, whether a “reasonable person understand his or her required safety training. would conclude” that the employer has not In Sec. of Labor v. E. Smalis Painting Co., 22 conveyed training to employees in a manner O.S.H. Cas. (BNA) 1553, O.S.H.R.C. Docket they are capable of understanding. For No. 94-1979 (Apr. 11, 2009), OSHA issued a example, in one case involving deficient safety total of 71 willful citations to Smalis for failure training, a supervisor described the company’s to train 71 employees as required in OSHA’s training program as follows: “Basically, in the lead in construction standard, 29 C.F.R. § yard with the men making sure they got their 1926.62(l)(1)(ii). The review commission vests, their shoring, their boards before they upheld 27 of those willful citations, one leave for the job. They are directed to not get for each of the 27 employees who had been in holes over four feet deep, when it’s unsafe exposed to lead at or above the action level to use the proper shoring.” Sec. of Labor v. and who had not received the training, and J. Mess Plumbing Co., Inc., 21 O.S.H. Cas. imposed a penalty of over $1,000,000 in total. (BNA) 1100, O.S.H.R.C. Docket No. 04- 0197 (A.L.J. Oct. 18, 2004). In that case, most The review commission’s decision in Smalis of the company’s employees had immigrated was based on its finding that the training from Bosnia and Albania and could not speak requirement under OSHA’s asbestos standard English. When an employee could not speak “imposes a duty that runs to each employee.” English, another co-worker would translate While the Smalis decision is based on the the materials for him. The employer also did employer’s failure to train altogether, the review not maintain any documentary evidence of a commission’s reasoning may well be applied training program. An administrative law judge to situations involving the adequacy of an upheld OSHA’s citation under a construction employer’s training program as it relates to industry training standard, finding that the non-English speaking employees. employer “hired workers who are not fluent in English, and then failed to ensure that OSHA’s Emphasis on Training Presented in a Manner Employees can Understand On April 28, 2010, OSHA issued a policy statement reiterating its position that employee training “must be presented in a manner that employees can understand…” www.osha.gov/dep/standards-policy- statement-memo-04-28-10.html. In the policy statement, OSHA states that “an employer must instruct its employees using both a language and vocabulary that the employees can understand.” Id. Accordingly, OSHA believes that employers must take into account employees’ language capabilities and education levels, and adjust their training programs accordingly. For instance, if an employer has a workforce who speaks predominantly Spanish or Polish, OSHA will require the employer to provide training in those languages. Further, if an employer has

an uneducated and/or illiterate workforce, requires that employees speak in and understood required safety training,OSHA will expect the employer to provide English while performing job duties in including the following:the training in very simple terms and use laboratories and processing areas where • Review how work instructions arepictograms or visual training materials, as there is the danger of fire or explosion.opposed to written materials. The rule does not apply to casual communicated to employees. If work conversations between employees instructions are communicated in languagesThe Issues of English-Only in the laboratory or processing areas other than English, consider providingEmployment Policies for Safety- when they are not performing a job safety training in those languages as well.Sensitive Areas duty. The English-only rule does not • Incorporate practical tests into required violate Title VII because it is narrowly safety training, allowing employees toEmployers may be tempted to avoid OSHA’s tailored to safety requirements. demonstrate their understanding (or lacktraining policies by employing only English- EEOC Compliance Manual, Section 13: thereof ) of core concepts.speaking workers. Employers must proceed National Origin Discrimination (Dec. 2, • Consider incorporating visual, as opposedwith extreme caution in fashioning these types 2002), www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/national- to written, materials in the safety trainingof policies, so as not to run afoul of federal and origin.html. program to account for illiterate or lesser-state anti-discrimination laws. According to this example, an employer educated individuals. would not run afoul of federal non- • Maintain meticulous documentation of Employers who fashion “English-only” discrimination laws by requiring employees to employee training, including any practicalpolicies, prohibiting employees from speaking speak only English while performing specific tests included in training. Include a signedlanguages other than English at all times in the job functions, during emergency situations or statement from each employee that he/sheworkplace, are presumed to be discriminating while working in particular areas of a facility has received and understood specific safetyon the basis of an employee’s national origin. that implicate workplace safety issues. training provided.The federal regulations implementing Title Employers must also take care in making • In the event of an OSHA inspection,VII of the Civil Rights Act call such policies hiring decisions based on a candidate’s ability advise all employees of their right to have a“a burdensome term and condition of an to speak English. A narrowly-tailored and management representative present duringemployment,” and add that prohibiting non- appropriately used English-only policy is any interviews. Designate a qualified andEnglish languages in the workplace at all times relevant to hiring decisions. For example, if an reliable person (whether management“disadvantages an individual’s employment employer has an English-only policy like XYZ or non-management) to act as the go-toopportunities on the basis of national origin” Corporation’s in the above example, it would interpreter to facilitate interviews withand creates “an atmosphere of inferiority, need to consider that policy in hiring employees non-English speaking employees.isolation and intimidation based on national to work in the laboratories and processing • Evaluate employee duties on a job-by-joborigin.” 29 C.F.R. § 1606.7(a). areas. Candidates who speak no English would basis to determine whether critical job-or not be able to adhere to the policy and would safety-related functions require fluency However, these same regulations do therefore not be qualified for hire into a position in English.recognize that when applied only at certain that includes work in those areas. Similarly,times, an English-only policy in the workplace even in the absence of an English-only policy, NOTE:may be appropriate and non-discriminatory. an employer does not violate federal anti-To avoid liability for discrimination, the discrimination laws by rejecting a non-English If you wish to receive complimentary copiesemployer must establish that the rule is speaking candidate whose inability to speak of this article and future articles on OSHAjustified by a “business necessity.” 29 C.F.R. or understand English would materially affect and employment law related topics, please§ 1606.7(b). In its Compliance Manual, the his or her ability to perform job duties. If, for contact Mark A. Lies, II at [email protected] Employment Opportunity Commission example, a candidate’s job duties would require to be added to the address list.(EEOC) has recognized that the need for forklift operation, and the candidate could notthe safe operation of an employer’s business read or understand warning signs, operating Mark A. Lies, II, is a partner with the lawis considered a “business necessity” that can manuals or safety placards required for the safejustify an English-only rule that is tailored operation of a forklift, then the employer would firm of Seyfarth Shaw LLP, 131 Southto specific circumstances. The EEOC also have a good faith, non-discriminatory reason forrecognizes that the need for supervisors who rejecting that candidate. Dearborn Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, ILonly speak English to communicate withemployees is also a “business necessity” that Conclusions and 60603. He can be reached at (312) 460-5877,can justify an appropriately narrow English- Recommendationsonly policy. and [email protected]. He specializes in It is recommended that all employers who The EEOC cites the following scenario as an employ workers with limited or no ability occupational safety and health and relatedappropriate use of an English-only rule to address to speak or understand English, carefullysafety concerns: evaluate their safety training programs employment law and civil litigation. to ensure those employees have received XYZ Petroleum Corp. operates an Kerry M. Mohan is an associate with Seyfarth oil refinery and has a rule requiring all employees to speak only English Shaw, (312) 460-5659, [email protected]. during an emergency. The rule also His practice focuses on occupational safety and health, traditional labor matters, and related employment law and civil litigation. THE LEADER vpppa.org 11

TATATCOBKPILCIONSG: O “Pregnant Worker” & “Unborn Child” A version of this article originally appeared in Industrial Safety & Hygiene News (ISHN) magazine in October 2014.12 THE LEADER vpppa.org

BY DAN MARKIEWICZ, MS, CIH, CSP, CHMMAfter a 30-year sleep, workplace safety is undergoing a great transformation. All workplacesand nearly all workplace hazards will be impacted. Approximately 75 percent of all womenworkers will become pregnant sometime during their working careers. Although the statisticvaries, about half of the U.S. workforce is made up of women. The health of more than one-half of all newborns in the U.S. may be impacted by workplace exposures.Unfortunately, protective controls for U.S. pregnant workers are stalled in decades-oldconcepts. Risk assessments for pregnant worker = unborn child = children, must eventuallyoccur. When spoon-fed, occupational safety pros see the hazards but are fearful or uncertainhow to act. In the face of uncertainty, they do little or nothing.Uncertainty rules federal laws designed to help pregnant workers are easily abused by employers. The laws are very weak.Safety pros don’t have the appetite to make the call on thisissue. All seem to be waiting for a higher authority to tell Information is not sharedthem what to do. My closet peers, people I trust, have toldme to give up this topic. Stop writing, stop speaking about There is valuable information that should be shared, but rarelyit. Piecemeal discussion is okay but don’t tackle the big is. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’sissue. The topic is taboo at almost every workplace I visit— (OSHA) mid-1970s lead standard warned of possible harmand I honor the request of clients to be silent about the to unborn children and the agency recommended a bloodequation of pregnant worker = unborn child = children. lead level limit for women who may become pregnant. By the mid-1980s, 20 percent, and maybe more, of the Fortune 500 People know what I’m talking about but they respond in companies at the time established “fetal protection policies.”whispers. I’ve learned that if you start off a conversation with These policies said women cannot work with lead if they arethe term “pregnant worker” and especially, “unborn child,” capable of becoming pregnant. I worked for a Fortune 500minds snap shut among safety pros. This attitude poses a company at the time and we had that policy. Exposure controlsrisk. About 75 percent of pregnant workers will confirm they existed, if well enforced, that could keep the blood lead levelsare pregnant with a home test kit at about 5.3 weeks. The at safe limits (at the time), but work exclusion among women,majority of pregnant workers will inform their employer not men, was the preferred solution pushed by companyabout the pregnancy at about 10.9 weeks, just before the lawyers and senior management. The U.S. Supreme Courtbaby bump shows. This is too late for the employer to fix first unanimously ruled in 1991 (UAW v Johnson Controls) thattrimester pregnancy hazards, such as chemical exposures. fetal protection polices violated the PDA. The court decision gave U.S. women the right to work in environments that may Why do these workers keep their pregnancy secret damage their unborn child. But the decision did not mandatefor so long? Possible discrimination. The Pregnancy safer U.S. workplaces for pregnant workers.Discrimination Act (PDA), Family and Medical Leave Act(FMLA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other THE LEADER vpppa.org 13

Approximately 75% of all women Changing climate beyond current law. The Supreme Court’sworkers will become pregnant sometime opinion, coupled with UPS’s voluntary actions, Things are popping, however. The National will trigger employers and other key stakeholders during their working careers. Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to re-examine their treatment for pregnant (NIOSH) updated 30-year-old American workers. Because the 1978 PDA still has fuzzy Medical Association (AMA) lifting guidelines areas of interpretation (three justices dissented for pregnant workers last year. Additionally, to the majority opinion in Young v UPS), the OSHA’s 30-year-old chemical management rapid growth of state and local “pregnant worker practices are being transformed now to the fairness laws” that offer more legal clarity are Globally Harmonized System (GHS) to better expected to continue, if not accelerate. protect these workers. “Unborn child” and “breastfed children” are mandatory GHS terms Nearly all pregnancy discrimination claims in OSHA’s hazcom. The deadline for full evolve from employer uncertainty on how to hazcom compliance is June 1, 2015. reasonably accommodate safety concerns for the worker and her unborn child. Pregnant In July 2014, President Obama called upon workers want to remain safe and employed. Congress to pass a pending federal safety Progressive employers seek the same objectives. law for pregnant workers. More than 135 These objectives are compatible when frontline members of the U.S. House are cosponsors of occupational health and safety pros team with the proposed new law. Not to be outdone, the other stakeholders, such as human resources U.S. Supreme Court, side-stepping the advice and the medical community, to recognize and of the U.S. Solicitor General, heard a case on apply best management practices. the safety of these workers in late 2014, Peggy Young v. UPS. A ruling occurred on March 25, The majority of pregnancy issues are not 2015. (Look for an analysis of this ruling in the medical issues; that’s why new laws are moving summer issue of The Leader). away from “doctors’ orders,” to “healthcare provider recommendations,” for normal Young’s case was sent back to lower courts limitations of pregnancy. Bureau of Labor for re-interpretation of claims under the 1978 Statistics Standard Occupational Classification Pregnancy Discrimination Act. UPS, however, Number 29-9011 means safety pros are did not wait for the court’s decision. Effective “healthcare practitioners;” this may qualify January 1, 2015, UPS enacted new corporate them under some new pregnant worker fairness procedures to voluntarily provide reasonable laws as a “healthcare provider.” There’s a new workplace accommodations for pregnant workers way of thinking occurring. The majority of New laws outside of the court’s reach, pregnancy issues are however, are where safety issues are happening. not medical issues; In the past 24 months, mostly occurring in that’s why new laws 2014, California; Maryland; Philadelphia; are moving away from New Jersey; New York City; Central Falls “doctors’ orders,” to and Providence, Rhode Island; Minnesota; “healthcare provider West Virginia and Illinois passed safety laws recommendations,” to protect women carrying children. These for normal limitations established laws cover more than 700,000 of pregnancy. workers annually. The language of these new safety laws should excite safety and health professionals. Besides a few exceptions, such as Minnesota law referring to a 20-pound lift, safety decisions are open and are no longer the domain of the medical profession. Safety and health pros, like you and me, may now interpret what job tasks are safe for these workers. A rare embrace From what I can see and hear, within the U.S., the issue I’m discussing is rarely fully embraced14 THE LEADER vpppa.org

with front-end prevention through an initial The core issue here has always been The core issue here hasrisk assessment. Trying to get organizations about safety—who determines what is safe always been aboutto embrace the topic is really tough. The for pregnant workers and how safety will safety—who determinesgovernment affairs gate-keeper at one be achieved? New laws are opening up this what is safe for pregnantprofessional society told me that the society opportunity for safety and health professionals. workers and how safetyis not involved in “children’s health.” A safety The Supreme Court’s decision will greatly stir will be achieved? Newconference stopped offering a pregnant workers the pot with how pregnant U.S. workers are to laws are opening up thisclass because too few people signed-up for the be managed. Again, almost all “discrimination” opportunity for safetycourse. Another professional group is hesitant cases boil down to a safety issue—not so much and health professionals.to offer training because the topic has “low for the worker, but uncertainty of safety for thepeer review.” unborn child. I feel comfortable making these safety calls for normal conditions of pregnancy. I recently met a trainer from a labor union I want other safety pros to get comfortable too.at a client’s site (he was conducting safety It’s a tough sell. But just think of the positivetraining; I was doing industrial hygiene impact that safety pros could have. The walls ofsampling). When I brought up the issue, he silence are coming down. Be ready to act.agreed it is very important, but has never seenwhat I’m describing with risk assessments at Dan is an independent environmental healthany work site he has ever visited; however,he believes it’s a good idea. As soon as I and safety consultant. Look for Dan’s articlementioned that I’m working with a lawyerwho provided an amicus curiae brief in the in the summer issue of The Leader regarding1991 case, previously mentioned, to developa brief for the Supreme Court case on the the impact of the Supreme Court’s rulingsafety of pregnant workers, all feedback to mestopped. The union guy I mentioned worked on Peggy Young v. UPS and the potentialfor Johnson Controls. He was very sensitive tothe topic and the legal impact. This is probably ways of interpreting the 1978 Pregnancywhy his union is careful of my involvementand offer to help. Discrimination Act.The coming legal battles KEYTROLLERI see disputes on the horizon. Years ago, a Provides REAL solutions to REAL forklift problems!lawyer asked me, “What side of the fence areyou going to take on this issue?” He wondered Keypad + RFID Ignition Access - Monitoring Systemsif I would represent the defense (business) or Keypad + RFID Ignition Access - Monitoring Systemsplaintiff (worker) if a tort action were to arise.Generally, an expert witness stays only on one Top Speed Cable + Electronic Controllers + ZONE Speed Controlside of the fence. I have always, to this point, Top Speed Cable + Electronic Controllers + ZONE Speed Controlrepresented business interests. I understand,however, that business is not performing good Checklist App + Rugged Tablet ---- Cellular + LAN Hour Metersdue diligence on this topic. With what I know Checklist App + Rugged Tablet ---- Cellular + LAN Hour Metersnow, it appears much easier to win disputes onthe plaintiff ’s side. This is another reason why High Accuracy Weighing + Overload SensingI continue to push my peers to take action on High Accuracy Weighing + Overload Sensingthis topic. It’s hard to argue that disputes arenot on the horizon. Wireless Drive + View Cameras ---- Pedestrian Warning Spotlights Wireless Drive + View Cameras ---- Pedestrian Warning SpotlightsStirring the potWhen I discuss this topic with female workers,questions usually come up: “Why hasn’t mycompany educated me fully about this issueand help determine what is safe?” My responseis always, “This is a question you should directto your company’s safety pro.” THE LEADER vpppa.org 15

BEING HEARD:SVHPPAREINXPGERTHIEENCE16 THE LEADER vpppa.org

BY CHARLIE DOSS, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MANAGER, VPPPA, INC.Huddled together over breakfast and, more importantly, coffee in a Capitol Hill cafeteria, nearly two dozenindividuals look over their schedules for the coming day. Braving a bit of late February snow, these safetyand health professionals are well on their way to meeting with more than 100 different congressional officesto share their worksites’ experiences with the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP). Since VPP can easily beoverlooked in the massive federal budget, representatives from worksites across the country have done whatthey do best: rolled up their sleeves and worked hard to address the problem. Through the VPP Participants’Association’s (VPPPA) congressional outreach initiatives, safety and health professionals have met withhundreds of House and Senate offices to bring attention to OSHA’s premier cooperative program.The Importance of Reaching Out government programs, resources have become Assistance—Federal. This category covers a constrained. Budget cuts across most of OSHA wide range of programs, including trainingVPP began as a pilot program in California’s and continued policy disagreements leading though the OSHA Training Institute, outreachstate-plan that was adopted federally in 1982. to sequestration and a government shutdown programs and materials and strategic alliances.The legal justification for its creation comes created a backlog of existing VPP site re- Within this broad category it is difficult tofrom the Occupational Safety and Health approvals. This in turn hindered the agency’s determine what amount is set aside for VPP;(OSH) Act of 1970, the landmark legislation ability to admit new sites to the program. Over there is no official accounting of the amount,that created the Occupational Safety and the past year, OSHA has been able to catch up but it has been estimated to be between $4–5Health Administration (OSHA). From that on re-approvals across most of its regions, but million annually.point, the program grew steadily across budget pressures remain.different presidential administrations and This amount is strikingly low whenCongresses, covering more than 2,000 sites by VPP is funded by Congress through an compared to the profound difference VPP2008. However, as has been the case for many item in OSHA’s budget entitled Compliance makes at worksites across the country. THE LEADER vpppa.org 17

REACH OUT For 2012, OSHA estimated that non- might otherwise have gone unnoticed. VPP’s construction VPP participants saved an quiet success over the decades fits this perfectly. Reaching out to your estimated $179 million from avoided elected officials in injuries, of which $32 million was saved Every congressional office handles support of VPP is more at federal worksites. That is quite the appointments and correspondence in its own important than ever. return on investment for taxpayers. These way, but generally the first step is to reach OSHA is seeking to figures do not even include other savings out to the main Washington, D.C., office to increase the number or productivity gains not directly related the point of contact for scheduling requests, of sites in the program to injuries. It is also important to note that making sure to stipulate whether this request in 2016 according to state-plan VPP sites, administered by 22 is for D.C. or back home in the district or Secretary of Labor state agencies, are not included in these state. For either location, it can be difficult Thomas Perez. figures. They are funded by those agencies, to meet with an elected official directly, due which in turn receive part of their funding to committee duties, public appearances,18 THE LEADER vpppa.org from federal OSHA. campaigning, etc., and it is for this reason that the vast majority of congressional Building on successful outreach events on meetings are with staffers. With different Capitol Hill last year, VPP participants met portfolios, they track relevant issues for the with 101 congressional offices, representing representative and his or her constituents 35 states, in February. These meetings and serve as the point person for their have produced results, as well as increased particular office on those issues. familiarity of the programs within Congress. Members of Congress are visiting VPP sites Meetings with a congressional office are for tours to see how the safety and health often brief, especially at the main D.C. office. management systems make a difference, in Visitors often have only 10 minutes to make person. This spring, VPP employees have their point, even if the meeting has to be been traveling to local congressional offices taken out in the hall or in a cafeteria because and hosting representatives on such visits, the congressional office is booked solid. building on the momentum from their Thankfully, the VPP participants who take Washington visits. On June 10–11, 2015, an part in these visits are experts at making the even larger congressional outreach event is best use of this time and sharing their passion being planned. for workplace safety. They are sharing a simple and effective message: VPP works and saves. It Reaching out to your elected officials in cuts to the quick of what makes VPP a valuable support of VPP is more important than ever. government program that should be brought to OSHA is seeking to increase the number the congressperson or senator’s attention. of sites in the program in 2016, according to Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez (for In addition to sharing the facts and figures more, read the “Washington Update” on page mentioned earlier, these volunteers share the 7). Additionally, legislation to codify VPP, human element from their sites. Stories of giving it its own budget category, will be how their sites have improved over time, to introduced this Congress. Known as the VPP the work they do sharing best practices with Act in previous Congresses, this separates their peers and community, provide context to the resources dedicated for VPP from the the savings and show the impact VPP has on other programs that share the Compliance everyday life for these office’s constituents. Assistance—Federal budget category, allowing for easier administration and If you would like more information about growth of the VPP community. There are participating in June’s congressional outreach similar bills in the planning stages for some event in Washington, D.C., or reaching of the state-plan programs as well. out to your elected officials locally, contact Charlie Doss at [email protected] When dealing with Congress, it is important or (703) 761-1146. Be sure to attend this to remember that every representative and year’s 31st Annual National VPPPA Safety & senator must deal with every issue facing the Health Conference as well. Rep. Gene Green American people, with an often surprisingly (D TX-29), a longtime champion of VPP, small staff to aid them. For this reason, they will be joining attendees to celebrate the value, and even rely on their constituents to important impact of VPP for workers across bring important issues to their attention that the country.

ADp. 19 AXION® MSR

WANT TO KNOW HOW TO INCREASE SAFETY AND PERFORMANCEWITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL REHASEBCILTITIOANTIO5N03AOCFT TOHFE 1973AdnaeSynwtpaadcpiatdtoohrnercvoftnsosmotasev$t,hrhnnrinr1eessaevapth5icAgnoricliec,aaUleut0nIntfredircln0lmsoleiaiSavosnonti0cirttmfntpnDfean(ufeoiaeeedooiyltandsetenxmghnernieiscvlpicmtninteStssdtassipleahed,utdeinewiiaslrgenrrstduoscrieenetosvtivamtyityecdpatanliihoadrAmcclstgtrefiafiimtopuntheoonoseiSn$inacecrhsmrttnoannto1ogoluiat(Aitpy5svpvhsniwnrnlnhbth,ilqereleMfs0oesyociatisayitmutlt0oaehvlprlyw;elual0EaulnkieerspmdaaaldiceoNdiietnprforihptanecinpotndceairnDeopqyuiglttmooifmdfsoshensrfluopEfamyeiycoper)eriaipDenbrmmmrofattpiffpnodldeccoitntylleaeeihgarrriortsvaosienitntyrintinntosiintmrvntvdthSthvubtmnstioeyeoreouseeacaeawipfaefossbacttUlcleuitiiiptlneonttyctpisnntebghihseonvondtirwmataceitoerro)notietsavniohtpbistfofn;dpenibyhoendeeaalnactyrtcSsuFrdranDorrautctetaaatp2yiyoalhecsyodecr6lcpraetsarphconmme,ecytrbwnaotmotU1irsocinrpiniad.nrl9piannpooitugtltlT7thmoeiectimnltrheg3rnlaoeyxrtaodeaest.pacucdyw.ncainsltePtitTaptintaionnthrsianieehdobsrngetngsrfhtistsliy.idhLoat;iaeeensbnasfU,aotlnsirlu.ietTcedhhdeor20 THE LEADER vpppa.org

BY MEG O’CONNELL, PHR & DEB RUSSELL, GLOBAL DISABILITY INCLUSION, LLCADDED COSTS?We’ve got the answer. No, we haven’t unleashed a colony of radioactive spiders like the one that bit PeterParker, turning him into Spiderman and giving him super powers. Nor have we mass-imported teams of peoplefrom Krypton to be Superworkers that will consistently show up on time, meet production and most importantly,meet or exceed safety standards. The solution is actually much simpler: Hire workers with disabilities. Yes, youread that right. Workers with disabilities are some of the most productive and safe employees in manufacturingplants and distribution centers around the world. Skeptical? Well, we can prove it!O ver the past 10 years, there has been 2. The definition of disability has expanded. impacted by a new requirement of the talk about the Baby Boomers retiring In fact, by today’s definition, the majority Department of Labor, Section 503 of the and the upcoming labor shortages. of disabilities are invisible (Diabetes, Rehabilitation Act, effective March 24, 2014,This discussion will continue over the next Hearing Loss, Depression etc.), which requires companies that do business with thedecade and beyond, and we must look for means you are likely already employing federal government to significantly increasenon-traditional labor pools to fill the gap. someone with a disability. That’s their workforce of people with disabilities.Where can you find labor that can work right—because one in five people has asafely in your environment? One option disability—an employee has a 20 percent See highlights of the new regulation below:is to follow the emerging trend, and hire chance of being a person with a disability. There are two implications of Section 503people with disabilities. Additionally, over 250,000 federal that are immediately clear: 1. If your company is a federal contractorWhy Workers with Disabilities? contractors and sub-contractors are now or a subcontractor, hiring people withAccording to the Department of Labor, there Section 503 Highlights:are 56 million Americans with disabilities, and33 million are between the ages of 16–64. This • Establishes a utilization goal of 7 percent across all job groups—so now federalis a large pool and many of them are able to, contractors need to show that their entire workforce is inclusive of people withand want to work. As you consider workers with disabilities in every level of job, not just entry level.disabilities, we ask you to focus on two things:1. Forget everything you think you know • Document and update annually the number of individuals with disabilities applying, and those hired—federal contractors now have to report metrics on about disability. Times have changed. their workforce and if not meeting the 7 percent, they need to show efforts to Technology has changed. Education and specifically recruit people with disabilities. training for people with disabilities have changed. Disability is no longer a closed- • Invite self-identification of disability status during the application process and door issue. Disability issues are becoming post offer (and every five years)—Everyone, employee and applicants, will be front and center, and some of the world’s asked if they consider themselves a person with a disability. greatest contributions have come from those categorized as “disabled.” To learn more, visit: www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/faqs/503_faq.htm THE LEADER vpppa.org 21

FIGURE 1: Walgreens’ three-year FIGURE 2: 2010 Kessler/Harris/NOD poll: Managers were asked the question,study of the job performance of their “How do employees with disabilities compare to their non-disabled colleagues innon-disabled team members vs. those the following areas?”with disabilitiesWith SPLIT CASE SPLIT CASE SPLIT CASE Dedication MORE SAME LESSDisability PICK—RO PICK—R14 PICK—TE-TN Flexibility to adapt to new situations 35% 62% 2%Without Absenteeism 16% 67% 16%Disability 2.1 2.4 2.5 Ability to acquire new skills 14% 71% 13% Turnover 7% 81% 10% 2.0 2.2 2.495 7% 58% 33% Source: Kessler/Harris/ NOD poll 2010 disabilities isn’t just a good idea, it is a Fact #2: Meeting & Exceeding companies new to this concept immediately requirement. If you haven’t launched your resist because they have visions of expensive disability hiring initiative, the time is now. Safety Standards accommodations, concerns about training and2. Competition for qualified candidates with That same Walgreens study reviewed safety questions about how to integrate people with disabilities is growing, and you need to be in records of the non-disabled population vs. the disabilities into the existing workforce. a position to recruit the best for your facility. disabled population, and specifically reviewed equipment operators who are deaf vs. the other The good news is there are more andWorkers with Disabilities Are operators, and found that costs related to safety more companies executing disabilityValued Employees incidents were 67 percent lower than for the inclusion strategies, and best practices have remaining workforce, partly because these emerged. There are considerations aroundBut first, you may be wondering, can people with workers returned to work faster. The graph accommodations and integration, but they aredisabilities do your jobs and meet your standards? to the lower right (Figure 3) shows the safety no more substantial than training programsAnd more importantly, can they be safe? records of the TMWD equal or exceed that for new workers, in general. However, of their non-disabled colleagues. Walgreens because the considerations are different, Before we go any further, let’s review the received more and more questions about the most successful programs are guided bydata, proving people with disabilities can meet allowing people who are deaf to be equipmentperformance standards in a broad array of jobs operators, they queried their more than 50 FIGURE 3: Relative Incidents-AccidentsAND meet safety requirements: operators to discuss how they completed their per 1,000 Motion Hours safety checks. Since one of the requirementsFact #1—Performance is to check the horn, many people wondered Relative accidents per WITH REMAININGand Capability: how a deaf person would accurately complete 1,000 motion hours DISABILITY POPULATIONWalgreens conducted a three-year study of this step each time. There were two differentthe job performance of their non-disabled responses: 1. Place their hand against the wall of 0.6 1.0team members vs. those with disabilities (over the equipment near where the horn is located to1,200 team members have disabilities) in their feel the vibration, and 2. Watch their co-workers 1.2distribution centers (see Figure 1). The table nearby when operating the horn to check forin Figure 1 demonstrates that the performance startle reactions. In many cases, what appear 1of the Team Members With Disabilities to be obstacles, have some common sense(TMWD) equals or exceeds that of their non- solutions. 0.8 TMWD had 34%disabled colleagues. fewer events. There are many more examples like these. In a Kessler/Harris/NOD poll in 2010 The trend in hiring people with disabilities is 0.6(see Figure 2), when managers were asked the continuing in companies across the country,question, “how do employees with disabilities and if you ask, you will hear stories from Lowe’s, 0.4compare to their non-disabled colleagues in Pepsi, Office Depot and more.the following areas?” managers agreed that 0.2employees with disabilities were as dedicated, Getting Startedas reliable, acquired new skills and had similar 0 REMAININGturnover. But 1/3 of managers responded that Now that we’ve established hiring people TMWD POPULATIONthey viewed employees with disabilities as more with disabilities makes sense, the nextdedicated and less likely to leave their positions. obvious question is “how do we do it?” Most Source: Professional Safety Magazine, June 201222 THE LEADER vpppa.org

professionals with extensive experience in • Compliance—companies are concerned The trend in hiringdeveloping and implementing these programs with compliance guidelines only people with disabilities isin a way that is sustainable, if not profitable. continuing in companiesWhile there is some upfront investment in • Competence—building internal resources across the country, andlearning, time and program development, the to more effectively integrate people with if you ask, you will hearpayoff far exceeds the expense. disabilities into the workforce stories from Lowe’s, Pepsi, Office Depot and more. In general, the roadmap for companies to • Confidence—beginning to develop masteryfollow to ensure that they can fully leverage the of disability inclusion principles and injuries of the brain and spinal cord.benefits of hiring employees with disabilities Kessler Foundation leads the nation inshould include these primary steps; we call it • Competitive—cultural shift takes hold, the funding innovative programs that expandThe BASIC Program: company can compete for the best employees, opportunities for employment for people• Benchmark—Where your company is and the resulting improvements in operational with disabilities. kesslerfoundation.org metrics create a competitive advantage. • The Poses Family Foundation—The today vs. companies that have successfully The only question that remains is, will your Poses Family Foundation (PFF) is a New implemented disability employment programs. York City-based, philanthropic foundation• Assess—Understand where you are and company take advantage of this opportunity founded by Nancy and Fred Poses. With assess the gaps you need to fill to prepare for to improve operations, safety records, interests in five areas, PFF puts its greatest development and implementation of your competitive advantage and engagement? Or focus on learning and attention issues. program. will you be left behind? To create long-term, scalable impact,• Strategy—Create a customized strategy and PFF provides strategic analysis, pro series of tactics to: Resources bono advising, incubation of large-scale • Identify and match jobs and skills with initiatives and multi-year funding. To help you get started, we (the authors of this Note: The Kessler and Poses Family Foundations potential candidate groups, article) are providing a list of resources: are supplementing funding for a large scale project • Prepare for any needed • Global Disability Inclusion—(the at Pepsi, and several other global corporations. accommodations, and authors of this article) work with THE LEADER vpppa.org 23 • Develop internal training programs for Global 500 companies and U.S. Federal Contractors, to design and develop the existing workforce around how to comprehensive disability employment successfully work with their new teammates. & inclusion strategies. Our approach• Implementation—Create and deploy an enables companies to evolve from a implementation plan that ties everything compliance based organization to one together in a timeline with milestones and focused on disability competitiveness. success measures. globaldisabilityinclusion.com• Compliance/Competitive: Each of • The Kessler Foundation—A major the above steps can be used to help you nonprofit organization in the field of achieve compliance as a federal contractor disability, a global leader in rehabilitation and focus on becoming competitive in research that seeks to improve cognition, the marketplace as you employ people mobility and long-term outcomes, with disabilities. including employment, for people with The fact is, most companies do not have neurological disabilities caused by diseasesdisability employment programs in theiroperations plans. But that is shifting andmore and more forward-looking businessesare seeing these types of programs as sourcesfor a competitive advantage. At Global Disability Inclusion, we’veorganized our programs to help ourclients take this journey. Our Evolution ofDisability CompetitivenessTM provides aframework for companies that want to notonly bring them into compliance with newDepartment of Labor regulations, but will,in fact, deliver this competitive advantage.Every company exists somewhere on the“Evolution” lifecycle, which, in brief is:• Not Important/Not on the radar—no plans for disability employment

The question asked by countless safety professionals as they continue to improve their VPP strategy is one for which there never seems to be a good, clear-cut answer. “How do I increase my site’s employee engagement?” It’s a struggle we hear about over and over again from our peers, at conferences and during webinars. Consider the fact that 19 percent of the workforce will be Latino by 2020, (according to the Department of Labor) and that figure does not even include other workers who do not speak English as a first language.24 THE LEADER vpppa.org

BY SARAH NEELY, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, VPPPA, INC.INCREASINGA SURPRISING SOLUTION TO EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT THE LEADER vpppa.org 25

“There is a bias held S o when one of Gilbert Aceves’ Spanish- other challenge that arose was ensuring that by a number of people speaking employees requested holding questions or additional topics raised in the second that immigrants should two separate safety meetings every month, safety meeting of the day, were shared with the speak English. Period. one in English and one in Spanish, although first group of employees as well. To overcome End of story. No matter skeptical about what it would do to employee this, minutes from both meetings were translated, the belief or attitude, the interaction, Gilbert was willing to try it. As it shared and filed, making sure that everyone inability to speak English turns out, that decision was only the first step in received the same updates and safety information. should not be punished the Spanish language training program that he Involvement started from both sides of the table, by a serious injury, or helped implement at Morton Salt’s Long Beach meetings had always been recorded in English worse, a death. facility. The unexpected consequences of that and now, things that happened in the Spanish program had a dramatic impact on the increase meeting were translated for the record as well.26 THE LEADER vpppa.org in employee engagement. The separate meetings focused his employees and their efficiency increased as they became more In fact, measures taken at the Long Beach engaged in what was being discussed. plant have been so successful, and promoted so much collaboration between both English and Gilbert enlisted safety champions to assist non-English speaking workers, that Morton in the bilingual implementation process. Some Salt was recognized by CAL OSHA as one of employees were tasked with translating meeting the first facilities in the state where the union minutes from English into Spanish and helping completely ran the safety programs. to make sure that all signage was properly translated and displayed. He also noticed that Gilbert recalls early on in his career in his employees were suddenly more outspoken 2001, trying to sell safety and VPP to the than they had been. Near miss reporting began union at the Long Beach plant. The biggest increasing because people were suddenly more focus at that time was “How can we increase invested in helping each other out. Everyone in participation in this program? How do we get the plant knew, unequivocally, that they were on people interested?” While it may seem counter- the same page. intuitive to hold two safety meetings, no one could argue with the results: a significant Gilbert talked about an experience he had jump in employee engagement resulting in 90 when one of his employees saw how he had percent employee participation. translated a memo from English into Spanish. “He just looked at it and kind of laughed and He recalls that, at the time, he was holding explained that while it had been translated one safety meeting for employees, alternating correctly, the way it was written was like between English and Spanish throughout the something out of a dictionary and didn’t use meeting so that everyone had the opportunity commonly spoken syntax or vocabulary. It to hear the same message. When employees was not a relatable document and it basically first raised the question about a separate safety looked like it had been written in old or overly meeting in Spanish, Gilbert asked why there was formal Spanish. This guy had always been quiet a need for two meetings but ended up answering and it had been difficult to get him involved his own question when he observed how people but suddenly, he wasn’t afraid to speak out. He were acting. then volunteered that his wife was a translator and that he could have her assist with correct “When I spoke in Spanish, the English- translation of the materials if I was interested. speaking guys would completely zone out. He started to oversee how my documents were Employees started talking to each other about translated to make sure that grammar and word who was having a barbecue that weekend, usage was in plain Spanish that was relatable.” how their families were doing and about upcoming vacations, because what was being More employees were starting to offer solutions said at that time didn’t pertain to them; they and discuss how things could be done more couldn’t understand and didn’t feel the need efficiently. There were also instances of some of to pay attention.” The same thing happened the Spanish-speaking employees speaking out when Gilbert switched to English. Once the for the first time when they saw situations that meetings had been disrupted, he found it was were unsafe, situations that they would have been difficult to rein employees back in and get too scared to mention prior to taking ownership them focused again, causing important safety of the safety program. Gilbert remembers one information to be missed. of the first times that he realized how much more involved his employees had become and There were initial concerns that topics or safety how much more confident they were when it issues discussed in one meeting may inadvertently be ignored or skipped in a second meeting. The

came to enforcing the rules and regulations that gave him the previous year. “The same guy who that working conditions stay safe for allthey’d had a hand in developing. “Someone from had been so upset at that conference actually workers on a site, regardless of the languagethe corporate office was visiting the plant. He thanked me for my observations and suggestions. barrier. Many companies, however, are stillhad on his safety helmet, his glasses and all the His employees’ reluctance to work with him struggling to begin an effective program. Forother gear that had been required. He was being had diminished and things were running so many sites, there can be a disconnect betweenshown around the plant, all of the operations much better since he had taken the initiative to the perceived challenges of engaging non-were being explained and discussed, when all of communicate better with his Spanish-speaking English speakers and the true challenges. Fora sudden, one of the employees raised his hand workforce. He apologized for his attitude the example, a language barrier may be incorrectlyand pointed out that he was not wearing steel- previous year and thanked me for actually saying interpreted as a lack of interest and this goestoed shoes. Everyone kind of looked at him in something because things had improved more both ways. Non-English speakers may feelshock and the gentleman was removed from the than he could have imagined.” intimidated when it comes to interactingfloor immediately until he was outfitted with the with their English-speaking counter-parts andproper gear. I just remember thinking that this is As of last fall, Gilbert began working for English-speaking employees may not knowsomething that never would have happened a few NRG EL Segundo (NRG) and has also been how to connect with their fellow employees.months before.” able to use his knowledge of effective Spanish language programs at his new site. At NRG, Engaging all employees in the same mission While the Long Beach facility may have everyone speaks fluent English however; for is the real solution to the barriers. Whenbeen the pilot program for Morton Salt’s dual contractors, that is not the case and there all employees have certain tasks that theylanguage training, and continues to run strong, are a lot of contractors coming in and out of are responsible for, they begin to truly takeit was not the last. It proved so successful that NRG. The highest rate of injuries in the U.S. ownership of the safety program. No mattersites in Canada now offer similar programs is to contractors so safety training is the main what the cultural or language difference mayin French and a site in the Bahamas offers priority at the facility. Anytime new contractors be, all employees come to realize that theydual language training. A Morton Salt facility come in, Gilbert provides all of the training do have at least one thing in common, thein Arizona actually took this program one before anyone ever sets foot on the floor. He commitment to keeping each other safe.step further by offering free English language always asks contractors if they would prefer toeducation programs to their employees. It hear safety training in English or in Spanish. Gilbert Aceves is a safety specialist at NRG ELmakes a huge difference when employees can “Their faces always light up when the questionsee that the company really cares about them is asked and it’s obvious that they have never Segundo, CA. With over 13 years of experienceand their well-being. been given the option before or, they have been too afraid to request it. Most of them tell in VPP, he also serves as an STM for the state “There is a bias held by a number of people me that they understand English but wouldthat immigrants should speak English. Period. appreciate receiving the training in Spanish to of California as well as an SGE, allowing himEnd of story. No matter the belief or attitude, make sure they fully understand all rules andthe inability to speak English should not be safety procedures.” to assist in a wide variety of site VPP audits.punished by a serious injury, or worse, a death.It is so easy to provide training videos in two NRG EL Segundo uses videos in both Gilbert serves on the Region IX VPPPA Boardlanguages, create signage and memos that English and Spanish and they also spend aeveryone can understand and have separate great deal of time updating all of their training of Directors as vice chairperson. He holds asafety meetings. I have seen how doing this materials annually to ensure that nothingactually improved employee cohesion at a site. falls behind. All signs are also in Spanish and certificate in environmental, health and safetyThe attitude that not speaking English means manuals and equipment information arethat you should be ignored is just baffling,” available to all contractors in Spanish if needed. from Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson, CA.,Gilbert said. He recounts a meeting a few yearsago at a VPPPA national conference where For some sites, pre-emptive steps have and an AA in business management. Gilbertpeople were visibly angry about having non- already been taken to accommodate a non-English speakers as colleagues or subordinates. English speaking workforce and to ensure maintains certificates as a counterbalance He was at a workshop about minorities in the forklift trainer, in addition to several otherworkplace and someone stood up and said, “Ihave a guy that works in my control room and safety and health certifications. Gilbert startedwho speaks no English. They are in our country;they should learn to speak English.” Gilbert was his career in safety at Morton Salt’s Long Beach,upset at this sentiment because so many peoplework side-by-side and the necessity of trying to CA, site as a maintenance welder/electriciancommunicate with fellow workers is imperative.While the discussion that ensued was heated, yet, and eventually became the VPP coordinator.productive, Gilbert was taken aback a year laterwhen the same person apologized to him and He has also held a position as the chief shopdescribed how he had taken the advice Gilbert steward representing Teamsters Local 848. Gilbert was at Morton Salt for 17 years. THE LEADER vpppa.org 27

BY STEVEN J. ST. LAURENT PRESIDENT STEVENSTLAURENT.COM, INC. FITCHBURG, MA Workplace demographics are undeniably changing. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, over 50 million “Hispanics or Latinos” live in the U.S. That doesn’t take into account the estimated 10 million undocumented immigrants, many of whom speak Spanish better than English. The U.S. population is changing, and a significant portion of those 50–60 million people who come from Latin America and Spanish-speaking countries work in construction and manufacturing. T he challenge for safety managers and supervisors alike, is significant. Misunderstandings due to cultural differences, language barriers and vastly different backgrounds often limit productivity and unnecessarily divide the workforce. How can you ensure that even the bare minimum of safety training is understood and delivered—as the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) states—“In a manner or in language that is understandable to employees?!” Training workers in all of the various aspects of safety inspections, corrective actions, near miss reporting, feedback, daily inspection checklists, toolbox safety talks and emergency action plans is tough enough. Add into the mix, non-English- speaking workers, and it can be very overwhelming. Communication = Mutual Understanding. If your company has not made efforts and doesn’t have a plan to ensure that training is delivered and comprehended “in language that is understandable to employees,” as OSHA mandates, then it is only a matter of time before that backfires on the safety, quality and production side of your business. If you28 THE LEADER vpppa.org

THE LEADER vpppa.org 29

What unites all people What unites all people worldwide no Don’t:worldwide no matter matter their language, culture, education, • Ask if they can read or write.their language, culture, financial status or age? It is value. What do • Ask if they went to school.education, financial status you value? I have posed this question to • Use common hand gestures (They oftenor age? It is value. thousands of individuals personally across the United States and Mexico in my training mean something completely different indo have a plan of attack in place that addresses sessions. Over the years, I have had the great other countries).language challenges for a safe workplace, pleasure of meeting people in my training • Manage by fear.looking at the existing program to determine sessions who were born in Africa, Europe,improvements is continually needed. Although Asia and Central & South America. Guess One national credential I hold is that I amthis article focuses on Spanish-speaking how most people respond? They say they a Certified Instructor through Commandemployees, the recommendations are applicable value their family, life, health and faith. Spanish,® who specializes in practical Spanishto any language or cultural difference. Most people typically value the same things for immediate use on the job as well as because we are not too different from one cultural seminars. This article provides practical tips and a another. Thus, the do’s and don’ts arebasic understanding of what everyone needs rooted in respect: Treat others as you want Here are some useful tools that you canto know as it relates to culture and language to be treated: use to get down to the personal level and todifferences by giving the top do’s and don’ts connect with people.regarding cross-cultural communication, Do:and gives a survey and supervisor checklist • Get to know each individual personally that Supervisor Checklist:that you can take away and use to improve Pitfallscommunication at your workplace. The you manage or supervise.survey and checklist are based upon actual • Find out what country they are from. • Not translating evaluations, feedbackinput from 100’s of supervisors across • Get out of your comfort zone. or meetings.the country from training conducted in • Show interest.2012–2013. • Squash stereotypes (i.e. Americans are • Not giving feedback, even if the answer is “no.” • Making changes of any kind without angry and shout a lot. I will get fired if I report an accident.) explaining why or without getting input • Be professional (i.e. Hire professionals to from operators or people in the field. interpret or train in the person’s Not giving them time to adjust to the target language.) new changes. • Saying or allowing the following to be communicated by your actions, “I’m the boss and you will comply culturally out of fear for your job.” • Spending too much time in the office and not enough in the shop or on the jobsite. • Not taking the time to get to know your employees personally to the appropriate professional level. Tips • We’re all human and value mostly the same things: Life, family, health and time. Thus, treat others as you want to be treated. • A good supervisor knows his/her people and can observe if something is wrong or “off,” and has the professional relationship to talk about it with the employee to ensure their head is in the game to work on a given project that day. Sometimes our co-worker or boss can prevent an accident by noticing when we are distracted, or drowning in emotion from a tough personal situation. • Look for easy ways to show support for your employees that will foster loyalty and trust. • If they feel more supported, then they will be more productive and healthier. The supervisor should feel the pressure for production, not the worker.30 THE LEADER vpppa.org

• Show gratitude and say thank you by 16. Establish, update and enforce procedures Care about your pointing out positives and not just mistakes. and policies employees as if they were your loved ones. Don’t• Care about your employees as if they were 17. Provide JSA’s (job safety analysis) and PPE treat them like children, your loved ones. Don’t treat them like 18. Listen to and respect employees but look out for them. children, but look out for them. How would 19. Be Visible that affect safety at your location? THE LEADER vpppa.org Remember, human beings value most ofWhere are you at?—Survey/Poll the same things: faith, family, time and health.for your employees: Try to connect and motivate people to work inRoles and Responsibilities unity. Take the time, make the effort to listen and learn.of a Supervisor (from a Since 2007, Steven St. Laurent has designedsafety standpoint) and conducted safety training that doesn’t boreThis is a list of questions compiled from you to death, in English and Spanish in over 30employees from a custom supervisor training states across the U.S. It has brought him backI was involved in during 2012 and 2013 at an to Mexico where he perfected his Spanish overinternational company with 7,000 employees. two separate years studying, working and livingI was part of a team of five trainers who rolled in central and northern Mexico. He resides inout a two and a half-day training for 1,000 central Massachusetts with the love of his lifesupervisors in the U.S. About 1/9th of their and their three children.workforce nationwide speaks Spanish and I’vepersonally trained over 1,000 of their 7,000employees; about 85 percent of my trainingswere in Spanish, the rest in English. Give this list of questions below to youremployees and have them rate you or scoreyou anonymously. Even better; give themtwo or three questions each week and havethem return their answers when they pickup their paycheck (or something similar).Instead of grading you 1–10 for each itembelow (10 being the best), you could justassume that you need to improve in everyarea and ask each employee to write outhow you can improve in each area. Perhapsanother employee could type up the answersto ensure anonymity.1. Walk-the-walk, champion safety and health2. Provide tools and equipment needed to do jobs safely3. Enforce rules4. Provide appropriate training for new hires or when someone changes jobs as well as ongoing and refresher training5. Provide a safe environment6. Be approachable and support safety (attitude)7. Address safety issues in a timely fashion8. Empower employees9. Follow up (give feedback), review, share and implement changes needed10. Document things appropriately11. Recognize and reward safe behavior12. Have realistic expectations13. Share current updates on safety rules14. Motivate employees15. Create organization structure to promote safety 31

NATIONAL VPPPA What’s NEW this year? Additional Conference HIGHLIGHTS: THE CONFERENCE Improved Agenda LASTS FOUR DAYS, We’ve modified the conference’s agenda to • Acquire valuable knowledge and BUT THE KNOWLEDGE enhance your experience. In addition to pre- information from over 100 workshops AND EXPERIENCES conference workshops on Sunday, conference and more than 300 exhibitors. LAST FOREVER. workshops will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday AND on Thursday morning, followed by • Learn about cutting-edge safety and REGISTER NOW for the 31st a closing box lunch. By offering even more health products from industry leaders Annual National VPPPA Safety & content on Thursday, attendees are presented Health Conference, held with additional opportunities for professional • Meet others from your region at your Aug. 24–27, in Grapevine, TX. development and networking, therefore, chapter meeting How do we top last year’s receiving a greater value. milestone 30th annual national • Participate in multiple contests and conference? We have Casino Night win dozens of prizes incorporated your feedback On Tuesday, Aug. 25, we’re hosting a Casino and are excited to offer you Night! Enjoy drinks and appetizers and win • First-Timer’s Workshop an even more fulfilling various prizes playing poker, blackjack, craps conference experience! and roulette! Register NOW! Two Free Pre-conference For more information on the conference, Workshops including how to register, visit the Join us on Sunday, Aug. 23, for preconference conference website: www.vpppa.org/ workshops for a more in-depth experience. We conference, or call or email the VPPPA are offering two free preconference workshops National Office at (703) 761-1146 and this year: [email protected]. • “What’s New in DOE-VPP” • “Before Pulling the Plug on VPP” Improved Mobile App This year, attendees will be able to instantly download and share workshop presentations, as well as their own notes through the conference mobile app. Email notes to yourself directly from the app or download them to your phone.32 THE LEADER vpppa.org

For more information on how to register, workshops, speakers, sponsorship opportunities, the venue and exhibitors, visit the conference website at vpppa.org/conferenceNATIONAL VPPPAEDUCATE. COLLABORATE. ADVOCATE.ATTEND THE 31ST ANNUAL NATIONAL VPPPA SAFETY & HEALTH CONFERENCE. August 24–27, 2015 / Gaylord Texan, Grapevine, TX. The conference lasts four days. . .but the knowledge and experiences last forever.• Join thousands of EHS professionals at the premier • Hear from nationally-known keynote speakers safety and health event of the year in Grapevine, TX! • Meet with hundreds of exhibitors who are featuring• Experience four days of activities, including over the safest and newest products available to the 100 workshops, over 300 exhibitors and numerous EHS community networking opportunities • Network with dedicated safety and health professionals who share your vision for a safer workplace JOIN VPPPA TODAY AND RECEIVE THE DISCOUNTED MEMBER RATE ON CONFERENCE REGISTRATION!Contact our Membership Department at (703) 761-1146 or [email protected].

member spotlightStephanie Genovese BY BENJAMIN MASSOUD, preferably, better than when they arrived for work stop work policy, workers must consider three COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR, that morning is important.” important questions: VPPPA, INC. 1. Have I done this work before and do I feel Naturally, a company of Phillips 66’s You don’t reach stature starts taking its safety precautions safe doing this work again (no red flags)? 28,000,000 hours with well before the work even begins. Phillips 66 2. Am I committed to do the job the right zero lost-time-accidents has an agreement with the online database, without an excellent ISNetworld (ISN), a system that allows way (no shortcuts)? safety program. WRR to analyze key safety statistics from 3. Do I have the courage to stop my work, Perhaps what makes over 59,000 contract companies, 2,000 of this achievement even which are connected to Phillips 66. Phillips and any other work that I think is more astonishing is 66 also has set safety criteria that contract proceeding unsafely? that this feat has been companies must meet and maintain to be If the answer to any of the three questions is accomplished by contract workers. Recruited considered for work at its locations. The no, the job is stopped and the concerns are from all over the country, contactors have Phillips 66 ISN Safety “Grade Scorecard” discussed and addressed so that the work can different backgrounds and expertise levels; evaluates six areas, including recordable continue in a safe manner. Sometimes the which is exactly why it is so crucial that the rate and citations, to get an initial idea of a mitigation is in the workgroup’s control; other WRB Refining LP Wood River Refinery (WRR) contract company’s safety performance. times, it is necessary to elevate the concern to has such a comprehensive safety program in get resolution. place that covers all WRR contractors and helps To help make the transition smoother, each When asked about the major obstacles to them meet the refinery’s safety expectations. company working at WRR has a Phillips 66 maintaining a strong contractor safety program, It can be argued that any safety program is sponsor to help them understand the safety Stephanie says that ensuring contractors are only as good as its leaders. In the case of WRR, culture and job requirements, as well as to answer engaged with WRR’s safety culture and that which is operated by Phillips 66, one of the questions that arise. With over 800 contractors they understand the safety requirements, can be leaders who has helped shape and instill the safe working for 25–35 different contract companies challenging. To address these challenges, WRR work culture is Stephanie Genovese. However, she onsite daily, the sponsors play a vital role in has an orientation program in place for each will quickly add that she is just one of the many on-boarding and staying connected to their contract worker to ensure certain regulatory forces behind the success of the contractor safety assigned contract companies. The sponsors are and WRR requirements are expressed directly program, from the entire safety team of which selected based on the type of work the contractor to workers; the orientation must be renewed she is a part of, to the management and each performs or the project they are involved with; annually. On a monthly basis throughout the person working at the plant who values the strong the sponsors are sure to be familiar with the safety year, the WRR safety message is conveyed to the safety culture. Previously working as a project considerations for the work the contractor will site and safety lead for each contract company engineer, Stephanie has been the contractor be performing. Once the contractors are ready at the contractor safety forum meeting. The safety coordinator at the VPP Star site of Phillips for work, they begin pre-job planning by using forum provides an opportunity to share the 66 WRR, located in Roxana, IL, for nearly five two valuable tools, the Safe Work Execution previous month’s safety statistics and learnings years. As part of her job, Stephanie provides Plan (SWEP) and the Job Safety Analysis (JSA), from WRR and the rest of Phillips 66, as well information and assistance to help the contactors designed to identify hazards and mitigations that as new or revised procedures, VPP updates and perform their work in a safe manner without any may arise for planned work. The SWEP, a key special safety topics with the WRR contract incidents. It is this duty, providing contractors tool for planning, communicating and safely leadership. The topics covered are chosen and with information to share with their work groups, executing work, is used to safely plan the entire presented by a committee led by Stephanie, continuing to improve the safety process, that scope of work, while the JSA is focused on the that includes contractors, VPP members, WRR she says gives her the most enjoyment from her task at hand, and is completed by the work crew Health and Safety Team members and WRR job. Drawing from her experience with the Girl just prior to performing the task. As JSAs are management. The contract leadership is expected Scouts, Stephanie says she was constantly taught developed, the applicable section of the SWEP is to “pass down” the information from the forum the importance of leaving things better than referenced for hazard awareness and to ensure the to their onsite workforce over the course of the when she found them. “That can apply to more mitigations prescribed in the SWEP are in place. month. Communication between WRR and the than just the campground,” Stephanie says. “The contract company doesn’t stop there. Face-to- idea of workers going home in the same way, or Understanding that any job worth doing is face review meetings are conducted in which worth doing right, WRR utilizes a stop work the Phillips 66 sponsors, the WRR Contractor34 THE LEADER vpppa.org policy, in which individuals are required to Safety Coordinator and WRR Site Management take time to evaluate how the work they are meet with the contract company’s management planning to do could affect their safety and the to discuss the work the company completed, safety of their fellow workers. In applying the their accomplishments during the past year, as

well as any plans and goals for the coming year. the valuable resources that members of the VPP you may very likely get ten different answers.These meetings are a crucial communication tool team provide to the employees and contractors. According to Stephanie, “Safety is aboutused to help develop and refine expectations, and The VPP team members have a union continually increasing awareness about issues,confirm that the contract company and WRR are background and bring different experiences with trying to drive messages home and emphasizealigned on key items. them, which are enhanced by what they learn them in different ways that are relatable to your at the VPP conferences. While it is clear that worksite.” It sure seems like the program at WRR With the type of work that the contractors Phillips 66 already has industry-leading safety does a good job of that; the refinery’s overallperform, it’s fortunate that Stephanie has the practices in place, she says that WRR’s VPP team recordable rate for the last two years is 0.15,support of her fellow health and safety team has helped solidify them, and in turn, improve with a 0.11 contractor recordable rate in 2014.members, the Phillips 66 sponsors and the them. The VPP team consists of five members But, like any quality, safety-minded company,contractors themselves, to maintain such an who are available to provide guidance on issues WRR’s focus, as well as Stephanie’s, is alwaysin-depth program. Working in an almost that may arise with operations, maintenance and on improving. “We want our recordable rate to100-year-old refinery, logically there is a lot of any other aspects of work at the refinery. In fact, be even better than that. It’s about continuouswork to be done. Maintenance work, including each morning, the members of the VPP team improvement; we are always aiming to becomethe inspection and repair of existing piping and attend one of the many “safety huddle” meetings better,” Stephanie says. With that kind ofequipment, and project work, ranging from the throughout the site and make themselves available mindset, you can bet that Phillips 66 Woodreplacement of a heat exchanger to the addition to answer any questions and provide guidance to River’s workers will achieve this goal, led by theof an entire new process unit, are just a few of the the workers. culture and commitment of team members likejobs the contractors undertake on a daily basis. Stephanie, and continue to go home safely, in the How do you get workers to buy into safety? same way they arrived for work that day. Speaking to the positive impact VPP has on If you ask ten safety professionals that question,WRR’s safety program, Stephanie acknowledges THE LEADER vpppa.org 35

member info cornerDon’t Miss Deadlines for RecognitionPrograms and Board Nominations Are You Ready To Be a Leader? recognized for your hard work, while also inspiring your peers? VPPPA offers a number Are you a strategic thinker? What do you think of programs, including awards, scholarships should be at the top of VPPPA’s agenda next and an achievement program, to recognize year? Do you have valuable ideas on what we the extraordinary efforts of member sites and can do to move the association forward and individuals who go above and beyond in their advance the VPPPA mission? Now is your efforts to improve safety and health for the chance! It’s time to take a leadership role workforce. Below are the available recognition and make a difference in VPPPA. Nominate programs to apply to by June 26: yourself, or a fellow safety leader, to the VPPPA • The VPPPA Annual Awards for Outreach National Board of Directors, today! There are seven open positions: and Innovation recognize member sites • Vice Chairperson and individuals that have made exceptional • Secretary contributions to the mission of the VPPPA • Director from a Site with a Collective during the previous year. • Have you helped implement best practices? Bargaining Agreement The VPPPA Safety & Health Achievement • Director from a DOE-VPP Site Program provides special acknowledgement • Director-at-Large (three positions available) of non-managerial employees at member To be elected to the VPPPA National Board of sites who have taken the initiative to learn Directors, a nominee must be an employee of a and apply safety and health best practices. full or corporate member site in good standing • Or maybe you’d like to further safety and with the association. If you wish to nominate health education for a family member or yourself or someone else for a position, please yourself? VPPPA’s scholarships will help complete and submit the following materials, achieve that goal. found at www.vpppa.org/board/national- Winners will be announced at the national board-nominations, by June 15: conference during a special reception on • Nominations form Sunday, Aug. 23. • Signed election protocols For more information visit www.vpppa.org/ • Management commitment letter recognition-programs or call or email the • A platform statement of no more than VPPPA National Office at (703) 761-1146 and [email protected]. 300 words • Your headshot, 300 DPI or higher Roster Contest Send submissions to Sarah Neely, 2015 We couldn’t make this contest any easier if Nominating Committee liaison, we tried! To ensure each of our members are at [email protected]. receiving the benefits they deserve, we need your site’s roster to be updated. To enter our roster VPPPA Awards and Scholarships contest, update the roster that was included in your membership mailing. After we receive the Although you don’t do your job solely to updated roster, we will randomly select one prime receive praise, wouldn’t it be nice to get contact to win a $50 gift card! Sites that have returned their roster are already entered into the contest. By helping us update your roster, you’re also helping yourself and your co-workers receive all of the benefits of VPPPA membership. Send your updated roster to [email protected] by June 26 for a chance to win. If you need another copy of your site’s roster, please contact the Membership Department.36 THE LEADER vpppa.org

infographic cornerBy In fiscal year 2013,2020, 5,342 pregnancyLatinos are expected to discriminationcomprise 19 percent of the charges were filed withU.S. labor force. the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission andThe unemployment rate for state and local fair employment practices agencies.persons with a disability was Nearly one in 10 working-age13.2 percent U.S. adults—19.2 million personsin 2013, compared to a rate of aged 16 to 64—is considered7.1 percent for those withno disability. limited English proficient,Mothers almost 10 percent of theare the sole or primary working-age population.breadwinner for a record40 percent of households today,compared with 11 percent offamilies in 1960. THE LEADER vpppa.org 37

state-plan monitorCOMPILED BY Arizona ADOSH anticipates an additional fourCHARLIE DOSS, GOVERNMENT sites by end of fiscal year 2015. In May andAFFAIRS MANAGER, VPPPA, INC. The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety November 2015, ADOSH will host special and Health’s (ADOSH) Voluntary Protection events focusing on best practices, held at Federal OSHA States Programs (VPP) currently recognize 36 Star sites. the Industrial Commission Auditorium in State-Plan States It recently gained two new sites. New to the VPP downtown Phoenix. The focus will be centered P ublic Sector State-Plan/Private family are Loven Contracting Inc. and Kitchell on best practices within several VPP sites and Sector Federal OSHA Construction. Both worked hard to achieve the demonstrating how they were implemented VPP Star designation by seeking out mentors in the workplace. Additional communication within the established VPP family. They also will be sent out to interested parties and will be attended various VPP Participants’ Association available via webinar as well. (VPPPA) conferences to gain valuable insight and knowledge into the process. All of this helped Michigan them to complete their applications and solidify their direction in shaping their own safety and The number of sites in the Michigan health management systems. Both are general Voluntary Protection Programs (MVPP) contractors who work in the commercial building stands at 28, with 26 Star and two industry specializing in clinics, hospitals and construction (MVPP/C) sites. other spec. buildings across Arizona. Michigan OSHA (MIOSHA) has As the year continues to move forward, been actively promoting MVPP, with four new applications have been received by MVPP Specialist Doug Kimmel delivering ADOSH. With applicants in both construction presentations on the program to the and general industry settings, the program’s management and employees of several diversity continues to grow, offering new ways companies, including G.E. Aviation and to implement best practices that may have Hearthside Foods, both in Grand Rapids. gone unnoticed. Arizona anticipates three to five Special Government Employees (SGE) will The fall 2014 MVPP/C mentor meeting was be utilized over the course of the year as they hosted by Walbridge at its company headquarters continue to prove their value to the process. in Detroit. The meeting was attended by representatives from several MVPP/C sites. Recent re-approvals include Frito-Lay Mentor meetings are a great opportunity for Distribution Center, Hunter Douglas Blinds, MVPP site representatives to network and Johns Manville, Central Arizona Project, share best practices. The Spring MVPP Mentor Raytheon Missile Systems, McCarthy Building Meeting was held on April 14, 2015, at the and Special Devices Incorporated. Radisson Hotel in Lansing in conjunction with the 85th Michigan Safety Conference. An MVPP informational workshop was held on September 17, 2014. The event was hosted by International Paper in Sturgis, a MVPP Star site. Robert Bosch, LLC in Farmington Hills and E&E Manufacturing in Plymouth have submitted applications for MVPP. Kimmel has met with representatives from each of these sites to discuss the findings from the review of their applications for the MVPP. The inaugural meeting of the MVPP Advisory Group was held in January. Representatives from seven MVPP sites have volunteered to participate in this group to further promote the program and develop new and innovative ways to share best practices.38 THE LEADER vpppa.org

contacting each state >> A Star re-approval onsite review was Alaska Michigan South Carolinaperformed at the DTE Milford Compressor Bill Nickerson Doug Kimmel Sharon DumitStation in Milford. Walkthroughs of the VPP Coordinator MVPP Specialist VPP CoordinatorWalbridge West Quad Project and the Munger Phone: (907) 269-4948 Phone: (231) 546-2366 Phone: (803) 896-7788Resident’s Hall project, both on the University www.labor.state.ak.us/lss/ Sherry Scott www.scosha.llronline.comof Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, have also oshhome.htm MVPP Managerbeen completed. Phone: (517) 322-5817 Tennessee Arizona www.michigan.gov/mvpp David Blessman A Star onsite review has been performed Jessie Atencio VPP Managerat Albemarle, South Haven. The review went Assistant Director Minnesota Phone: (615) 253-6890well and the site has now been promoted from Phone: (520) 220-4222 Ryan Nosan www.state.tn.us/labor-Rising Star (Merit) to Star. www.ica.state.az.us/ MNSTAR VPP Coordinator wfd/vppStar.html ADOSH/ADOSH_main. Phone: (651) 284-5120 Several sites have been re-approved for aspx www.doli.state.mn.us/ Utahparticipation in MVPP, including: mnStar.html Holly Lawrence• Covanta, Kent in Grand Rapids California VPP Manager• Herman Miller Main Site in Zeeland Iraj Pourmehraban Nevada Phone: (801) 530-6494• Georgia Pacific in Grayling Cal/VPP & PSM Manager Jimmy Andrews www.laborcommission. Phone: (510) 622-1080 VPP Coordinator utah.gov/divisions/UOSH/ Be sure to “like” Michigan OSHA on www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/cal_ Phone: (702) 486-9069 VPPprogram.htmlFacebook and follow us on Twitter @mi_osha. vpp/cal_vpp_index.html www.dirweb.state.nv.usFor further details on the MVPP, please contact VermontDoug Kimmel, MVPP specialist, at (231) 546- Hawaii New Mexico Daniel Whipple2366, or visit the MIOSHA website at www. Clayton Chun Melissa Barker VPP Coordinatormichigan.gov/miosha. Manager VPP Coordinator Phone: (802) 828-5084 Phone: (808) 586-9110 Phone: (505) 222-9595 www.labor.vermont.gov/Nevada labor.hawaii.gov/hiosh www.nmenv.state. vosha nm.us/Ohsb_Website/Jimmy Andrews, Nevada State VPP Indiana ComplianceAssistance/ VirginiaCoordinator, has been in his current position Michael Gaskill VPP.htm Milford Sternfor a few months now and stated “I am excited Manager VPP Coordinatorabout the future of the VPP within Nevada.” Phone: (260) 373-2860 North Carolina Phone: (540) 562-3580Nevada currently boasts nine participating www.in.gov/dol/ LaMont Smith www.doli.virginia.gov/VPP sites, the newest being Copper Mountain Recognition Program vosh_coop/vosh_vpp.htmlSolar 1, LLC, which just finished its audit in Iowa ManagerJanuary 2015. Andrews explained that Nevada Shashi Patel Phone: (919) 807-2909 WashingtonOSHA is anticipating at least three new VPP Coordinator www.nclabor.com/osha/ John Geppertapplications as they have been working with Phone: (515) 281-6369 osh.htm VPP ManagerCintas Corporation, Location #623 in Sparks, www.iowaworkforce.org/ Phone: (360) 902-5496U.S. Ecology, Inc. in Beatty and the Starbucks labor/iosh Oregon www.lni.wa.gov/safety/Carson Valley Roasting Plant & Distribution Mark E. Hurliman, CSHM topics/atoz/vpp/default.aspCenter in Minden. Sherwin-Williams, Sierra Kentucky VPP/SHARP ProgramNevada Distribution Service Center & Pacific Joe Giles Manager WyomingRegion CTS in Reno were re-approved in VPP Program Phone: (541) 776-6016 Karin SchubertNovember 2014. There are three additional Administrator www.cbs.state.or.us/osha/ Consultation Supervisorcompanies due for their re-approval this year. Phone: (502) 564-4089 subjects/vpp.htm Phone: (307) 777-7710 labor.ky.gov/dows/ www.wyomingworkforce. Andrews explained his projections for oshp/doet/partnership/ Puerto Rico org/employers-and-VPP in Nevada and expects the program pages/VPP---Voluntary- Ilza Roman businesses/osha/Pages/to continually expand. Companies who are Protection-Partnership. Director safety-and-health-currently in the program have been reaching aspx Phone: (787) 754-2171 compliance.aspxout to others and assisting them in the www.dtrh.gobierno.prapplication process, as well as informing them Marylandof the expectations of being a part of the Eric Uttenreitherprogram. Nevada’s VPP policy is currently in Assistant Commissionerthe process of being updated. Phone: (410) 527-2065 www.dllr.state.md.us/ labor/mosh/vpp.shtml For additional information and up-to-date contacts, please visit www.vpppa.org/chapters/contacts.cfm. THE LEADER vpppa.org 39

MA VEPNPPTAOORPPIONRGTU—NITY40 THE LEADER vpppa.org

BY STEVE NIKKEL REGION VII VPPPA BOARD MEMBERY ou made it, now you are a Star site! Employees need to understand that being in Mentors gain a deeper It is a wonderful achievement, but VPP requires the development of a detailed insight into how the nuts there is more work to be done to system for safety improvement, thus reducing and bolts of another site’skeep improving safety at your site. One way injuries to employees at a site, and is not static. safety program works.to continue the process of improvement is toobserve the procedures and practices other One requirement for continued in the improvement process. His enthusiasmcompanies use to implement safety. Most of participation is continuous improvement in taught me that safety improvement requiresus are familiar with the traditional ways of the site’s safety program. Another question inspirational leadership to be successful.expanding our knowledge; attending regional I hear at new sites being mentored: “Is thisand national conferences, getting involved in program just to make the company look You can become a mentor by letting yourinformal discussions with other attendees and good? Or worse, to avoid OSHA fines?” As regional VPPPA committee know that youpartnering with your local OSHA office. a local OSHA representative emphasized at have an interest. It is important to have a the site where he was mentoring, it will not list of mentors so that they can be paired However, another beneficial approach prevent an OSHA fine, and being in the with a site that matches similar backgrounds.that I have found to be beneficial is to get program guarantees that the plant will be A mentor that works in a power plant willinvolved in the mentoring process to help audited every three years. Non-VPP sites may probably be the best mentor for a similarother facilities become Star sites. Mentors never get audited. Listening to the employees facility, a construction mentor for anothergain a deeper insight into how the nuts reminded me of the pain required for our construction company, and so forth. Yourand bolts of another site’s safety program site to reach Star status. One of the biggest participation and involvement with anotherworks. For instance, how do they get input hurdles in the process is to educate employees facility will depend on where they are in thefrom their employees on safety-related and engage all of them in some manner in process. It is important for the mentor toissues? Every company receives and tracks the VPP process. They must understand the share information with the mentored facilityemployee input in different ways, and bottom-line “why” of the process, which is to about the process required for approval,employee feedback is critical to a successful reduce injuries. This fact is important even including the VPP elements and sub-safety process. Do they have an effective after a site reaches Star status. elements, the requirement to have an injurysafety committee that involves both hourly rate lower than the industry average and theand salaried personnel? While working as a Also, as a mentor, I had the benefit of having a audit plans. In my experience, it takes onementor, my experience talking to personnel union employee, Mike Kendall, from a Star site, or two visits to a new site, with each visitin a facility has taught me that effective GE Aviation, US in Arkansas City, Kansas, help taking a few hours. After these visits, you canemployee involvement is most important to me in the mentoring process. During our visit answer questions by phone call or email.being successful in safety. I have been able with employees at the site, we tried to answerto acquire new ideas from other facilities these “why” questions and concerns about being The VPPPA Labor and Managementthat have improved my company. Therefore, in VPP. As expected, there were a few skeptics Committee encourages, and will supportyou not only help a site achieve a goal and suspicious as to why a company would want to mentoring efforts in any way possible.improve safety by giving them suggestions, get involved. Promoting safety by helping other sitesbut you also will learn something new achieve Star status helps all of us in thefrom them that you can share with all Mike told these employees at this site that industry and protects our fellow employees soemployees at your site. This learning, or re- he used to be one of the “CAVE” people at his they can go home safe every night. Everybodylearning in some cases, also applies to safety site—“Citizens Against Virtually Everything.” feels bad when we read about the misfortuneprocedures, identifying physical hazards or But after his union leadership asked him to at another site where an employee is hurt. Aslatent conditions, improving management get involved, he made it his mission to learn VPPPA members it should be our goal to helpcommitment, safety training and many other about VPP. Once he understood the program’s everyone go home safely.aspects of safety. benefits, he became a leader not only in the VPP process, but in all aspects of plant safety. In my recent mentoring experience, I got Also, Mike told employees at the mentoreda reminder of how important it is to keep all site that safety is one of the cornerstones ofemployees educated on the benefits of VPP. unions and the union should be active inThe question at new sites, and even at sites promoting safety to its membership becausethat have been in the program for a long time, it helps reduce injuries. VPP, he told them,is: “Why do we need to participate in VPP?” can be a big part of the safety improvement effort and will give employees a louder voice THE LEADER vpppa.org 41

chapter round-upsCOMPILED BY Region I coordinator, along with Jack Popp, vice presidentBENJAMIN MASSOUD, at Hasbro, East Longmeadow, MA, representingCOMMUNICATIONS It’s springtime and it’s been a long, hard winter the regional board of directors.COORDINATOR, VPPPA, INC. in New England. It’s the anticipation of spring that keeps us going. There are new VPP Keep an eye on our Region I website“Sustaining our VPP sites, as well as the re-approval of many other vppregion1.com for all news andStar status is the result of sites. Outreach efforts continue, whether it is communications.our focus on continuous companies interested in VPP, or those that knowimprovement with our nothing about it. Region I has a tremendous Submitted by Steve Gauthier,safety management network of companies willing to invite others Region I Chairpersonsystem, an effort that into their facilities for the purpose of bestis championed and practice sharing; this also allows us to host Region IIexecuted by employees several regional events, from quarterly chapter Safety Innovationat every level of the meetings to OSHA Safety Roundtables. Theorganization.” regional OSHA staff must also be recognized for One of Region II’s VPP participants, Evans their hard work and for their participation at our Roofing Company, won the First Annual Safety chapter meetings and the annual conferences, Innovation of the Year Award at the Western providing the latest initiatives and VPP updates. New York Safety Conference on March 19, 2015, in Niagara Falls, NY. Conference FLEXcon, Spencer, MA, was recognized for 20 attendees were encouraged to submit their years of participation in the Voluntary Protection safety innovations prior to the conference. Programs, and recently received Star reapproval The top four candidates were selected to give a in December. FLEXcon has been a participant 25-minute presentation on their innovation at in VPP since 1995, holding Star status since the conference, and the winner was voted on 1998. “The health and safety of our employees by all of the conference attendees. is our highest priority,” said Michael Engel, chief operations officer, FLEXcon. “Sustaining Mr. Dan Nowak made the presentation for our VPP Star status is the result of our focus Evans Roofing Company. Some of the safety on continuous improvement with our safety innovations and best practices at Evans include management system, an effort that is championed featuring all safety and health information and executed by employees at every level of the on electronic tablets; fall protection organization. We are proud of this success and equipment inspection tags ( QR2-Code) for recognize the critical importance of continuing accountability; project specific fall/rescue plans; our commitment to workplace safety.” To mark fall protection equipment inspection checklists the re-approval, FLEXcon held a ceremony (weather-resistant punch cards); a new-hire for employees and OSHA representatives, mentoring program and a ladder repair Timothy Irving, OSHA Region I assistant program with an outside vendor. regional administrator, Robert Sands, OSHA VPP manager and Lynnda Ignacio, OSHA VPP The award was presented by Mr. Gerry Bogacz, President of the Board of Directors for the WNY Safety Conference. The company Fred Cartagena, Tropicana Fleet Planner, explains the Don Barker, Tropicana HSE Coordinator, explains the PIT Total Trax System Tropicana safety token program42 THE LEADER vpppa.org

received a glass plaque award, as well as an regional conference, taking place June 1–3, will Utilities, Allentown, PA; and Secretary JulieAlbert Einstein painting that was completed be in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at the Tropicana. Simon, Noramco, Inc., Wilmington, DE. Kennyat the conference by the keynote speaker, Post-conference workshops will be held on Richardson, Capps Corporation, VA, is returninginternationally recognized graffiti artist, author June 4. We are working to update our database as vice chairperson. Region III offers our heartfeltand entrepreneur, Mr. Erik Wahl. He painted to ensure that everyone who is interested in thanks to departing Secretary Bob Schroeder,the portrait in front of the audience at the participating in future conferences will have time Noramco Inc., Wilmington, DE, and Director-at-conference opening, in approximately two to allocate the appropriate resources. Large Scott Buterbaugh, Trinity Industries, Inc.,minutes, and it was painted upside down! Pittsburgh, PA. We are grateful for their leadership In the coming months, you may receive calls and for their many years of dedicated service. Evans Roofing Company, Inc. is from volunteers to update contact information.a commercial roofing and wall panel We appreciate any help you can provide in The Region III VPPPA Board of Directorscontractor located in upstate New York. this regard. Individuals and organizations have already started planning next year’sEvans Roofing Company, Inc. has two interested in submitting workshop proposals, conference in Dover, DE, at the Dover Downssubsidiary companies; Charles F. Evans sponsoring breakout sessions, advertising in Hotel, April 25–29, 2016. We would likeCompany, Inc. (union) and CFE Inc. (non- the official conference program and registering to find out what new and innovative bestunion). Both companies achieved VPP Star for the event, should visit our website at www. practices your site would like to showcase instatus in 2012 as VPP Mobile Workforce region2chapter-vpppa.org. a presentation during the conference. Pleaseparticipants. These two companies are the submit your breakout session ideas andonly roofing companies in the United States Region II asks for your continued support requests to board member Brad McPherson atto achieve this honor. Roofing is the sixth of the Norman Deitch Automated External [email protected] with the subjectmost dangerous profession in the country, Defibrillator (AED) Fund. The fund’s mission line “Region III Breakout.” In your email, pleasepresenting daily challenges with existing is to provide free AEDs to nonprofits and provide a summary of the presentation that youand predictable hazards. Evans decided organizations that traditionally do not have would like to give and a brief presenter bio so itback in 1990 to commit to a formal Total the resources to purchase AED on their own. can be categorized and reviewed.Quality Management (TQM) program Over the past eight years, with your help, wewhere safety is one of three core values. have donated 18 machines. Anyone interested Follow Region III activities on our websiteThis led to a paradigm change to how safety in contributing to the fund should contact at vppparegion3.org/homepage.html. You canis performed on their projects. Today, a the Region II Chairperson, at Brenda@ also “friend” Region III VPPPA on Facebook!fully-staffed EH&S Department drives this accesshealthsystems.com.comprehensive safety and health program, Contributed by Julie Simon,offering education and training backed with Contributed by Brenda Wiederkehr, Region III Secretaryencouragement and guidance. Region II Chairperson Region IVOutreach and Education Region IIIThe 15th Annual Holiday Safety & Health We would like to start off by congratulatingCouncil Meeting took place in December. The 2015 Region III Conference was held the new regional administrator for Region IV,Our very own Region II VPP company, March 3–6 at the beautiful Omni Homestead Kurt A. Petermeyer; congratulations Kurt! WeTropicana, presented “Management & Union: Resort in Hot Springs, VA. The board of are looking forward to working with you. Also,Working Together at a Successful VPP Star directors would like to thank all conference congratulations to Pike Electric, Inc, which wasSite.” The presentation included the story of attendees for making it a very successful event. reapproved for the Carolina Star Program inTropicana’s management and union working Keynote speakers included Dave Dravecky, North Carolina for their Mount Airy facilities.together to operate and maintain an efficient Brandon Schaffer and Don Wilson. In additionVPP workplace. They shared insight on to great breakout sessions and workshops, the Conference registration is now open for thehow their managers, supervisors and union conference featured a networking event at the 2015 Safety & Health Excellence Conference.employees work side-by-side on a daily basis hotel’s on-site ski lodge. Congratulations to The conference is scheduled for June 16–18,to operate a safe and successful distribution Region III SGE of the Year, Thomas Rimel 2015, at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, FL.center. They also went over how they identify (Dunmore Corporation) and Mentor of the The 2015 conference will offer four paidand communicate safety hazards found Year, Drew Holland (Norfolk Naval Shipyard). preconference workshops, and for the firstin their facility. The team also discussed time ever, five free preconference workshops.Tropicana’s safety program and their recent Through election, the open positions on the Please visit our website for more details,VPP Star reapproval. region’s board of directors were filled by: Mark regionivvppconference.com. Ball, ABB Inc., Bland, VA; Brad McPherson, National and regional conferences are an FirstEnergy Corporation, Maidsville, WV; Joe Preconference workshops begin on June 16,outstanding platform for sharing best practices Morrell, Fareva Richmond, Richmond, VA; and 2015, at 8:00 AM and end at 3:00 PM. Theand sharpening skills to promote safety in the Eric Trout, Trinity Industries, Inc., Pittsburgh, conference kicks off at 4:00 PM on June 16,workplace. With that being said, Region II’s 2015 PA. Incoming officers include Chairperson 2015. Congratulations to our conference logo Rich Foreman, Frito-Lay, Aberdeen, MD; winner, Donnie Baggs, Marine Corp Logistics Treasurer Jacque Creamer, Jr., PPL Electric Base in Albany, GA. One final note to mark your calendars for the Carolina Star Safety THE LEADER vpppa.org 43

chapter round-upsConference on September 16th–18th, 2015, Region VI the “Never Give up Guy” and author oflocated in Greensboro, North Carolina. “Kidjacked: A Father’s Story” gave outstandingVisit the Carolina Star Safety website at The Region VI conference was a huge success, speeches that motivated attendees.www.carolinastar.org as the attendees were riveted by speakers Joe Theismann and Colonel Mark W. Tillman’s In March, Delta Air Lines in ColoradoContributed by Kim Burton, Region IV inspirational speeches. Thank you to all who Springs, CO, volunteered to host our secondSecretary helped make the conference as beneficial and “What is great in Region 8?” benchmark event. fulfilling as it was. Approximately 15 OSHA VPP/or potentialRegion V sites along the Front Range shared best OSHA will be offering an SGE class on practices while touring the host Star site. AOur website address has changed from a July 14–16, 2015, at McKee Foods, Gentry, joint effort with OSHA Region VIII, the event“.com” domain to a “.org;” please be sure AR, as well as on Sept. 15–17, 2015, at included multiple presentations on the 2015to check us out at www.vppregion5.org. NASA-JSC Gilruth Center, Houston, TX. NFPA70E edition. Presenters included ChrisThe 2015 Region V Conference will take The application deadline is July 15, 2015, Matthewson, labor liaison, and Mark Moya,place May 19–21 at the Great Columbus for the September training. To register, NFPA CESCP. Kim Hatler coordinated theConvention Center in downtown Columbus, please go to osha.gov/dcsp/vpp/sge.html. event and provided lunch. Thank you again,OH. Join us for a preconference tour of If you have any questions, please contact Kim and Delta Air Lines!Nucor Steel in Marion, OH, more than 40 Chantel Sollers at [email protected] orworkshops, networking, VPP Application (202) 693-2237 or Bill Klingbeil at klingbeil. Region VIII would also like to congratulateworkshop and opportunities to win various [email protected]. our newest VPP site, Denver Transit Partners,raffle prizes. Denver, CO. We would also like to recognize Congratulations to the following sites on all our re-approved Star sites: Sturgeon Congratulations to the newest Region V their recent re-approvals: Electric, Henderson, CO; PCAAP, Pueblo,VPP Star site, Delta Air Lines Cincinnati • ConocoPhillips Co Global Aviation CO; Phillips 66 Refinery, Billings, MTReservations Sales Call—Cincinnati, OH. and Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc., Services—Houston, TX Colorado Springs, CO. Several sites were also re-approved: • GE Dallas Service Center—Dallas, TX• IP Food Service Business—Menomonee • Pratt & Whitney MCO ME Computed Region VIII has been working with the VPPPA Government Affairs Counsel Falls, WI Tomography Lab—Austin, TX regarding regional congressional outreach.• Sandvik Hyperion—Worthington, OH • West Fraser Lumber Mill Leola—Leola, AR U.S. Senator Michael Bennet is tentatively• Steris Corp. Pinecone Biological Ops— scheduled to tour one of our Star sites where Share your Success Stories he will hear about the importance of VPP to Mentor, OH Have you recently celebrated a success at your employees, as well as to business. Members• Hamilton Sundstrand - Rockford Plant— site? Share your story with the rest of the VPP are encouraged to stop by his office while community! Let’s hear what’s going on at your he is on recess to voice their support and to Rockford, IL site. Send us your stories with photos, and advocate for VPP.• NB Coatings—Lansing, IL brag a little about what you’re doing well and• Nextera Energy Point Beach Nuclear how it’s impacted your site and safety program. I’m very proud of what we’ve done and Send your stories and photos to Kirk Crandall what’s yet to come. It has truly been an honor Plant—Two Rivers, WI ([email protected]) so we can get serving as your interim chairperson. Thank you• Occidental Chemical Corporation them published. Visit the Region VI website at Region VIII for rocking the Rockies! www.regionvivpp.org for more details. Cincinnati—Cincinnati, OH Contributed by Mark A Moya, Region VIII• Delta Air Lines DAY Customer Service Contributed by Kirk Crandall, Region VI Chairperson Director-at-Large Station—Vandalia, OH Region IX• GE Healthcare Madison—Madison, WI Region VIII• GE Medical Systems—Information Wow! What a great safety summit! The Our regional conference’s theme, “Make it executive session was a smash, the keynote Technologies—Milwaukee, WI Safe, Make it Home,” created by Jenelle Mote, speech delivered by Keni Thomas was very was selected through a member-wide contest. inspirational and the breakout sessionsSGEs Wanted To show our appreciation for everyone’s work were informative and useful. Once again,The 2015 VPP assessment schedule for Region for the conference, Region VIII coordinated a the closing session summed up what weV is posted on our website. If you’re an SGE and Rockies versus Diamondback baseball game at all have to remember: “The lessons are inlooking to participate on an assessment in 2015, Coors Field. The conference was again held at the Journey!” As a team, we all workedbe sure to review the VPP schedule and contact the DoubleTree by Hilton Denver Tech Center, throughout the year to deliver the bestthe OSHA lead as soon as possible. For the VPP Greenwood Village, CO, on May 5–7. safety summit possible for our stakeholders,assessment schedule and OSHA contacts, please hoping that we can change attitudes, instillvisit vppregionv.com/region-v-sges. Keynote speakers Chad Williams, former U.S. Navy Seal and author, and Scott Lesnick,Contributed by Bill Linneweh, Region VChairperson44 THE LEADER vpppa.org

excitement and infuse and enhance learning, Community Outreach Last year, 47 workersall geared towards preventing another CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company participated in the “Aftersenseless workplace accident. We will (CHPRC) at the Hanford Site in Richland, School Matters” program tocontinue to be your partners on the journey WA, is investing in the community, increase safety knowledgeto safety excellence. enhancing our future and changing lives. and practices outside of CHPRC community outreach efforts are Hanford. Workers discussed The Region IX board of directors want to focused on health, economic development their professions, the hazardsextend their heartfelt thanks and gratitude and education. CHPRC established a Legacy faced on the job andto each of the executives who gave their Project at Badger Mountain and is investing allowed kids to experiencetime to share how they make a difference in the community through a partnership hands-on activities relatedin their workplaces. We also want to with the nonprofit Friends of Badger to their jobs.thank each and every person who helped Mountain to extend the Badger Mountainby presenting a workshop, helping with trail system 20 miles. CHPRC committed THE LEADER vpppa.org 45registration or working behind the scenes; corporate funds to help purchase land,this does not happen without you! Even expand trails and create trail monuments tothough the summit is over, we continuously honor Hanford workers. Late last year, 125work throughout the year by holding volunteers worked more than 512 hoursawareness and educational seminars in a constructing a new, two-and-a-half mile trailvariety of forms, working with our state plan on the south face of the mountain.partners in Arizona, California, Nevada andHawaii. If you know of a local conference CHPRC Hanford workers are continuallyor safety summit and you would like to have demonstrating safety to students inrepresentatives from the Region IX VPPPA our community. Last year, 47 workersattend, let us know and we will try to make participated in the “After School Matters”sure we represent. program to increase safety knowledge and practices outside of Hanford. WorkersContributed by Mark D. Norton, discussed their professions, the hazards facedAmbassador to the Region IX Board on the job and allowed kids to experience hands-on activities related to their jobs.Region X Contributed by Jack Griffith, Region XWe are off to a strong start this year in Region Secretary and Communication ChairX! There have already been a few reapprovalsthis year, as well as a reapproval ceremonyor two. On February 12, 2015, CovantaMarion’s Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facilityin Brooks, OR, held their Star reapprovalceremony. AmeriTies West LLC’s railroad tieplant in The Dalles, OR, Sherwin Williams’Purdy Brush plant in Portland, OR, andNuStar Energy Tacoma, WA, were allreapproved early this year. At the end of lastyear, Mortenson Construction in UniversityPlace, WA, also received Star approval. Onsiteevaluations at Starbucks Roasting plant inKent, WA, and Trident Seafoods Pier 91 inSeattle, WA, have taken place and reapprovalsare pending for Carlisle ConstructionMaterials in Puyallup, WA, Georgia-PacificPackaging in Olympia, WA. We would also like to offer acongratulations to our new SGEs! Thanksto two classes this winter, one in Januaryat Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and one inMarch at the HAMMER training facility,Region X now has nine new SGEs!

calendar of events VPPPA ContactsMay To reach the VPPPA National Office, call (703) 761-1146 or visit www.May 18–20, 2015 July vpppa.org. To reach a particular staff member, please refer to the contactRegion I VPPPA Conference July 15, 2015Sea Crest Beach Motel, information below.Falmouth, MA Deadline to register at the regular rate for the national conference R. Davis LayneMay 18–20, 2015 [email protected] August Senior AdvisorRegion VII VPPPA ConferenceChase Park Plaza Hotel, August 3, 2015 Sara A. Taylor, CMPSt. Louis, MO [email protected] Deadline for late registration for Director of OperationsMay 19–21, 2015 the national conference Ext. 107Region V VPPPA Conference August 24–27, 2015 Amanda BucknerHilton Columbus Downtown, [email protected], OH 31st Annual National VPPPA Safety Senior Conference Coordinator & Health Conference Ext. 112June Gaylord Texan, Grapevine, TX Sarah NeelyMay 30–June 4, 2015 [email protected] Communications ManagerAmerican Industrial Hygiene Ext. 121Conference and Expo (AIHCE) 2015Salt Lake City, UT Benjamin Massoud [email protected] 1–3, 2015 Communications Coordinator Ext. 117Region II VPPPA ConferenceTaj Mahal, Charlie DossAtlantic City, NJ [email protected] Government Affairs ManagerJune 15, 2015 Ext. 113Application deadline for VPPPA Tom WebbNational Board nominations [email protected] Strategic Development & MemberJune 16–18, 2015 Services Manager Ext. 114Region IV VPPPA ConferenceCaribe Royal, Katlyn PagliucaOrlando, FL Member Services Coordinator Ext. 115June 26, 2015 Heidi HillDeadline to apply for VPPPA [email protected] and Scholarships Event Sales & Advertising Coordinator Ext. 111 Marianne Trinh [email protected] Senior Accountant Ext. 106 Michael Khosrofian [email protected] Accountant Ext. 104 Bryant Walker [email protected] Information & Data Analyst Manager Ext. 110 Courtney Malveaux, Esq [email protected] Government Relations Counsel Ext. 10546 THE LEADER vpppa.org



7600-E Leesburg Pike, Suite 100Falls Church, VA 22043-2004Tel: (703) 761-1146Fax: (703) 761-1148www.vpppa.orgVPPPA, a nonprofit 501(c) (3) charitableorganization, promotes advances in worker safetyand health excellence through best practices andcooperative efforts among workers, employers, thegovernment and communities.SCAN QR CODETO LEARN MOREABOUT VPPPA, INC.http://bit.ly/jVQcBo PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER Work shouldn’t hurt. Save your knees with our ergonomic products!Soft Knees Knee Pads Disposable Knee Pads Ergokneel Handy Mats Pak•A•Ladder Garden Kneeling StripExtreme Standing Mats Ergokneel Ergomotion Soft Top Aircraft Mats Pocket Kneeler Ground Blankets Surgical Lift Mat with Lanyard 888-456-3372 • www.safeworker.com