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Wisconsin Drug Free Workplace

June 8th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

Employers with mobile worksites in the construction industry now have an opportunity to see their companies publicly recognized for their efforts on behalf of the health and safety of their workers.

The latest Wisconsin drug free workplace program incorporates another program called the VPP Mobile Workforce Demonstration for Construction. The principle behind the melding of the two efforts? The idea that keeping a workplace free of drugs is a crucial element in the health and safety of employees. That is particularly true in the construction industry.

The bottom line is this. If an employer is willing to agree to a rigorous examination of his health and safety measures on the mobile construction site, his or her business will be recognized as a model for the industry.

Voluntary Protection Programs were first developed by the U.S. Department of Labor in 1982. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has been bringing a number of VPPs into existence since then.

It is only since late 2006 that the program for the mobile site construction industry has been included.

VPP stands for Voluntary Protection Program, which signals the significant element of this effort. It is entirely voluntary. Employers choose to invite a team of OSHA health and safety professionals on the site that will be examined. The employer must insure beforehand that hazards such as dangers from falling are eliminated. Safe trenching methods must be in place. Workers must be trained in safety techniques specifically for construction sites. After all this, the team of OSHA experts submits the site to an intense examination. If the site passes, it is verified.

Verification means recognition. The program “recognizes those construction companies that should be held up as models of safety and health for the rest of the industry,” says Edwin Foulke, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. Assistant Secretary Foulke points out that the programs are a successful way of eliminating workplace deaths, minimizing injuries, and lowering the rate of illnesses in the workplace. The result? A more productive working team.