OSHA Issues Memo on VPP Incentives
Assistant Secretary David Michaels in April issued a memorandum outlining Agency policy and procedures for the review of incentive programs at VPP worksites.
The memo outlines an acceptable incentive program – “A positive incentive program encourages or rewards workers for reporting injuries, illness, near-misses, or hazards; and/or recognizes, rewards, and thereby encourages worker involvement in the safety and health management system…”
And it states what is not acceptable – “An incentive program that focuses primarily, or even in small part, on injury and illness numbers often has the effect of discouraging workers from reporting an injury and illness. ..Disincentives to reporting may range from awarding a new care to the manager whose unit has the greatest reduction in incidence rates to rewarding workers with a pizza party for achieving an injury/rate reduction goal…”
Examples are given of each. See the entire memo at http://www.regionviivpp.org/site100-01/1001770/docs/vpp_incentive_policy_4-2011pdf.pdf