Hanscom VPP gears up for next step in certification process

  • Published
  • By Rhonda Siciliano
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Hanscom's Voluntary Protection Program is ready to move forward in its pursuit of achieving certification from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as a VPP Star certified site. 

Hanscom's program went through a final review last week by Dave Caswell, Department of Defense VPP Center of Excellence, who determined that Hanscom was ready to take the next step in the certification process which is to submit an application package to OSHA. 

Once the application is submitted, OSHA will evaluate Hanscom's safety processes, interview employees and supervisors on base and then determine what level the base qualifies for. 

"Our VPP has come a long way but the toughest part is still ahead," said Col. Lee Pritchard, 66th Air Base Wing Safety Office commander. "Over the next few weeks we will submit our application to OSHA, inviting them to review our program and conduct a site visit to determine if we have met the requirements to earn recognition as a Star certified site." 

Over the past several months Hanscom personnel have been working to identify and correct those areas that were found to be in need of improvement following site visits from the DoD team that has been working with the base on the certification process. 

"The mock audits that Dave Caswell and his team have conducted have been extremely helpful in showing us where we need to improve before the OSHA team arrives," Colonel Pritchard said. "Attitude is key in this certification process, we need to demonstrate to OSHA that everyone here takes safety and the VPP process seriously and that we are committed to making this the safest place to work." 

The VPP process emphasizes holding managers accountable for worker safety and health, the continual identification and elimination of hazards and the active involvement of employees in their own protection. 

"It's a complete team effort to make this happen, so we continue to ask for everyone to stay engaged and active in promoting VPP so that together we can maintain a safe and healthy workplace." Colonel Pritchard said. 

There are four key elements that OSHA inspectors will focus on during their site visit.

The first element will be management and employee involvement in the Voluntary Protection Program. "To accomplish this, we will have to demonstrate to the inspectors that leadership and employees on all levels understand and are active participants in VPP," Colonel Pritchard said. 

The second element that OSHA will be reviewing is worksite analysis. "For this element, the inspectors will want to see that we have a thorough evaluation of safety and health elements through such things as job site analysis," the colonel said. "We will need to demonstrate to them that we have a thorough accident, incident investigation program and that we have identified problem elements and set dates for any necessary corrective actions to be made." 

The third element outlined by OSHA's VPP team was hazard prevention and control. Inspectors will be looking to see that Hanscom's program has a hierarchy of controls in place to ensure the safety of its workforce. 

Safety and health training is the fourth element that will be evaluated. "The inspection team is going to want to see that all employees understand and know any potential risks that they might be exposed to and how to report any problems, incidents or concerns," Colonel Pritchard said. "One simple thing everyone can do is go online and take the VPP 101 course on the CenterNet, if they haven't already done so. It lays out all the principles and guidelines of VPP," he said. 

The Voluntary Protection Program was created by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 1982 and formally introduced to the Hanscom community in May 2006. It emphasizes worker safety and health, and the identification and elimination of hazards by involving employees and managers in the process. 

For more information contact your Wing's VPP team leader or Mike Trudeau, 66th Air Base Wing Safety Office, at (781) 377-5136. The leaders are: 66 ABW, Italia Minchello (781) 377-6560; 350 ELSW, 1st. Lt. Scott Ostrow, (781) 266-0529; 551 ELSW, SMSgt. Glenn Taijeron, (781) 377-1012; 554 ELSW, Galen Williams, (781) 377-4226 and 653 ELSW, Bill Bassett, (781) 377-0299 or Mary Kay Francis (781) 377-0794.