Fatalities or catastrophic accidents at Voluntary Protection Program sites will now trigger inquiries that could lead to a VPP site’s termination from the safety program, according to a directive released June 4 by the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The May 29 memorandum from David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, laid out steps OSHA regional offices must follow if they learn of a fatality at a VPP site, including the death of a contractor. The final decision on ending a company’s participation rests with the assistant secretary.
Issuing a directive for dealing with ...