Going Universal - VPPPA Region I Chapter

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This e-version of The Leader is provided courtesy of VPPPA for members only. For reprint permission, please contact the editor at Communications@vpppa.org. the Road to VPP the road to qualifying as a Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) site can be full of roadblocks, potholes and detours. it can be frustrating and take longer than you anticipated. however, VPPPA has a gPs system that will help you navigate your way through the requirements and it won’t cost you a thing or get stolen out of your car! the gPs is the VPPPA mentoring Program and over the next year or so, The Leader will present a series of articles chronicling one company’s journey to VPP, utilizing the mentoring Program. richard Allee is the regulatory compliance manager at frito lay, north America, located in denver, colo. frito lay’s mentor is scott’s liquid gold, inc. (slg) also in denver. richard and Kelli heflin, slg, sat down to talk about the benefits of mentoring and documenting the progress that frito lay will make on its way toward VPP application and the eventual onsite evaluation. can you tell our readers why your site wanted to move forward with vpp? rIchard: VPP has been on the horizon for a couple of years in Denver. Frito Lay has several VPP sites nationally (manufacturing and distribution) and this is a national initiative in our company. In 2009, one of my colleagues and I attended the VPP 101 Workshop and mentoring was mentioned in the class. We never thought about using it before the class. kellI: Richard and his colleague also attended a mentoring networking session that we had at our regional conference and filled out the request form there. Why did you decide to move forward with a mentor? rIchard: Frito Lay actually does a preaudit before the application is submitted, complete with 90-day items. It is companyspecific but not region-specific. The idea of having someone local who had been through the process appeared to have great benefits. Kelli was five minutes away and had worked closely with the Region VIII OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] people. I was new to VPP. My first exposure was the VPP 101 and although my company has excellent programs, they are company-specific and I had to figure out how those programs 48 the leAder >> sPring 2010 synced with VPP elements. It is definitely helpful to have a guide through the process. kellI: When SLG first entered into the VPP process, our region only had six VPP sites and the mentoring program wasn’t very strong here. OSHA was hosting workshops, led by the late Bervin Hall, but it really wasn’t what I needed. It would have cut back on the number of headaches I had trying to work my way through the requirements and have someone actually review some of my programs and tell me if they met the element requirements. What are your expectations from the mentoring program? rIchard: That there will be a clear idea of where the challenges and opportunities are and what we need to focus on to be successful. There is a benefit to someone outside our company looking at our programs and operations with a critical eye. They tend to find things that we don’t “see.” There are also takeaways that could improve processes and safety culture at our facility. kellI: We’ve already made two site visits and have made some suggestions on machine guarding and signage within the company. As a mentor, we also benefit from the takeaways from them to improve things at our facility. Richard made a recent visit to our site and we expect him back soon with some of his safety committee members. 1 What do you think of the process so far even though you just got started? rIchard: It’s a bit daunting since we are just starting, but we are eager to get started and work through the process. There’s a great deal of support from Frito Lay and other people in Region VIII. kellI: The first step is always the hardest! What do you find most useful about the mentoring process? rIchard: There is a path to follow. We have three defined milestones to hit in the next three months and that is easy to follow. We’re putting a process together to get to the end result. kellI: We have agreed on three fairly major milestones: (1) reorganize the safety committee; (2) start introducing VPP elements to the Frito Lay team in Denver; and (3) attend the Region VIII annual conference. Was it easy to get a mentor? rIchard: [Laughs] I’ll let Kelli tell that story. kellI: Richard filled the request form out at the conference and I asked him if he had been working with someone or had someone he wanted to work with and he asked if we were available. We had recently finished working with a site and Frito Lay is literally down the street, so the match was made! it’s easy to request a mentor – just visit the VPPPA website at www.vpppa.org and go to the mentoring section and fill out a request form. each region has a mentoring coordinator who will work to find you a mentor. stay tuned for future installments that will update you on milestones met, challenges faced and progress made by frito lay on the road to VPP! H
This e-version of The Leader is provided courtesy of VPPPA for members only. For reprint permission, please contact the editor at Communications@vpppa.org. 7th AnnuAl 49 the leAder >> Autumn 2009 site-Get-a-site CaMPaIGn DeaDline: June 30, 2010 The association is asking its members to hit the recruitment trail for 2010 by participating in vpppa’s 7th annual Site-get-a-Site Campaign. as vpppa continues to broaden its base and expand its network of active, involved vpp participants or sites looking to improve their safety and health management systems, retaining and attracting new members is crucial for the association. With your help, a wider audience is reached every year simply by word of mouth. for 2009, almost 50 members were recognized for having recruited more than 100 new member sites. recruit a site for vpppa membership and help share best practices with other sites that have the potential to become “the best of the best” in occupational safety and health. any site you recruit to join the association not only grows your network, but also helps support and improve your local chapter with five percent of the membership dues going back to your regional chapter. additionally, you are eligible for a chance to win a complimentary membership for your site in 2011 and receive recognition at the 26th annual national vpppa Conference and in vpppa’s quarterly magazine The Leader. recruItment tIps 1. identify potential members, which are any sites interested in maintaining or improving their safety and health management systems. 2. know your member benefits and highlight the benefits that the potential member will find most useful. 3. Share your experiences from vpppa events and convey the networking and educational opportunities offered by the association. 4. The vpppa website has valuable information for prospective members. refer them to www.vpppa.org/membership for additional information and to fill out their membership application online. 5. be sure your name, site name, city and state are included on the new members’ application at the time it is submitted. 6. everyone gets busy and your prospective member could simply have forgotten to send in their application. follow up by calling or sending an e-mail. for more information on the 7th annual Site-get-a-Site Campaign, please visit us online. you can also contact our membership department directly at (703) 761-1146 or membership@vpppa.org to find out more about recruiting new members. Continue to spread the good news about the benefits of vpppa so we can continue to build a strong network of peers. the leAder >> www.VPPPA.org 49
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Going Universal - VPPPA Region I Chapter

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