Enzi introduces bill to preserve VPP
In the face of potential budget cuts and critical reports on the performance of OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) on Tuesday introduced legislation that would "preserve" the programs.
In the most recent proposed fiscal year 2011 budget for the Department of Labor, officials said they plan to slash funding for the program to focus OSHA's priorities on companies that fail in their obligations to ensure a safe workplace.
The Voluntary Protection Program Act (S. 3257) would protect VPP from such budget cuts. The bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), also would expand the program to include more small businesses.
In a press release, Enzi called VPP the most successful program in creating a workplace safety culture. Last June, a Government Accountability Office report (.pdf file) questioned the program's integrity in light of evidence that some participants were not meeting the program's strenuous safety standards.
Post a comment to this article
Safety+Health welcomes comments that promote respectful dialogue. Please stay on topic. Comments that contain personal attacks, profanity or abusive language – or those aggressively promoting products or services – will be removed. We reserve the right to determine which comments violate our comment policy. (Anonymous comments are welcome; merely skip the “name” field in the comment box. An email address is required but will not be included with your comment.)