OSHA Launches New Online Application Portal for Voluntary Protection Programs

OSHA announced on Monday the launch of a new online application portal for its Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP), which recognize employers and workers who have implemented effective safety and health management systems. According to the agency, the portal is intended to modernize the application process for companies that qualify for VPP. Candidates can use the new portal to start, continue, and get assistance with submitting VPP applications. OSHA is able to use the new system to review applications in real time, allowing the agency to help companies correct errors or emissions more quickly. The portal accepts electronic versions of supporting documentation and allows users to stop during the process and complete their applications later without prompting them to restart.

“OSHA developed the VPP Portal as part of the agency’s efforts to continue representing safety and health excellence, leverage resources, accommodate effective administration of VPP, and support smart program growth,” the agency states in a press release. “Qualified companies with mature safety and health management systems can apply to VPP using the new system.”

More information about VPP, including a link to the new portal, can be found on OSHA’s website.

Related: “Active Health and Safety,” a feature article published in the March 2019 Synergist, focuses on the latest revision of the ANSI/ASSP Z10 standard for occupational health and safety management systems, which was released later in 2019.