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. . . ARE YOU GREEN OF SAFETY? What Place Does Environmental Excellence “Really Have” In Your Organization’s Culture? Or Is there still a 'Green Wall?' Most major companies today espouse a commitment to the environment through marketing efforts and written and verbal communications to employees and the public. Publicity related to Global Warming from a variety of sources, reports on CNN about the ‘melting of Greenland’ and the strong possibility of rising water levels globally, pressure from the European community’s attention to the environment, as well as, vocal environmental groups such as Greenpeace and others have brought environmental concerns into the forefront for many. There are ‘future forward’ companies that have been proactively addressing the concern over air, water and ground pollution for years. Some level of resources have been allocated to provide greater environmental safeguards for equipment, written procedures and training for employees, and adherence to programs such as Responsible Care for neighboring communities and consumers. With all of these efforts, does a “Green Wall” still exist? We believe it does and whatever environmental inroads we have made individually and collectively, the urgency to reach the next level of environmental protection appears to be greater than ever! In December of 1995, a survey of North American businesses conducted by the Arthur D. Little Consulting Company, asserted that a "green wall" existed between the environmental and business staffs of many companies, which created a major roadblock to managing corporate environmental issues successfully. Paul has over 25 years of experience in the areas of Safety Management and Performance, Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Sciences. He brings to Topf Initiatives a tremendous background and experience in safety and facility auditing needs, and specializes in assisting Topf Initiative clients with OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) applications, training requirements and safety standards. Paul has also had the honor of serving OSHA as a Special Government Employee. Paul helps our clients by providing a clear understanding of how to traverse the VPP application and auditing process and reduce the time and expense of the learning curve. Paul led safety initiatives at Rohm & Hass for over 25 years and has science degrees from Tulane University and the University of Kentucky. He retired from Rohm and Haas as the Director of Corporate Safety and Industrial Hygiene. We welcome him to the Topf Team and look forward to a greater understanding of how personal safety awareness... ...attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of all levels of employee can be integrated into the VPP certification process to achieve the highest levels of SH&E excellence and incident prevention. Congratulations! You’ve worked long and hard. Armed with the commitment and support of both line and management employees, you’ve achieved VPPA certification. You’ve spent countless hours conducting work site analyses, auditing, cheerleading and assuring that hazard prevention measures and controls are in place. At last – certification! It’s time to celebrate, pat each other on the back and take a breather. Or is it? Of course you and your team deserve a chance to bask in the glow of your accomplishment, feeling proud of what you’ve achieved together. But in fact, now is when the really hard work begins. The larger, ongoing challenge is continuing to excel once an objective measure of excellence has been attained. It’s Human Nature It is common that, after reaching a sought-after goal, we often redirect our attention and energy elsewhere, typically towards another objective. Or thinking things are now handled, we kick back, abandoning the very efforts that helped us reach that goal. Either can signal the beginning of a deterioration in performance. . . . ON VPP AND CULTURE Focus on VPP Welcome to our team... Paul J Snyder CIH, CSP Beyond Certification: Keeping your Improvement Process Alive and Well!! . . . ON VPP AND IMPLEMENTATION The Voluntary Protection Program: What is it all about?? The OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) is surely one of OSHA's’ success stories. First introduced in 1982 it was at first looked on with suspicion... establish a relationship with OSHA?, Invite them into our facility? Today there are over 1100 federally covered VPP STAR facilities in the US. STAR is the highest level of recognition earned when all VPP requirements have been met. Those states that manage their own OSHA program have state run VPP efforts – such as California, North Carolina, Kentucky and Utah. My former employer, Rohm and Haas, is proud to claim 14 STAR sites with 2 more in the application process. A number of major corporations use the VPP requirements as their safety management system requiring their plant managers to achieve STAR. With VPP size doesn’t matter – a small facility with 10 employees can earn a STAR. Today VPP is best described as a cooperative relationship between management, labor and OSHA. . . . ON WELLNESS The Case for "Change" in Employee Wellness Programs By Michelle Lynn Taylor "75% of health care spending pays for illnesses which are preventable".- Centers for Disease Control Four of the leading causes of death in the nation—heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease —are directly linked to unhealthy lifestyles and tobacco use. Encouraging individuals to adopt healthy habits and practices may reduce the burden of chronic disease in communities throughout the United States. Public and private efforts and programs are increasingly designed to promote these healthy behaviors and lifestyles. Employers are becoming more aware that obesity, lack of physical activity, and tobacco use are adversely affecting the health and productivity of their employees and ultimately, the businesses’ bottom line. As a result, innovative employers are providing their employees with a variety of work-site-based health promotion and disease prevention programs using health coaches and the “trans- theoretical theory of change” approach to wellness. These programs have been shown to improve employee health, increase productivity and yield a significant return on investment for the employer. What is a Health Coaching Program? Health coaching programs help people make smart choices about health behaviors through education, motivation and reinforcement of healthy options. Taking the time to build a rapport, assess readiness to change, identify areas of need and to create an action plan, leads to a healthier outcome. Research proves that this personalized, collaborative approach is more effective than the cookie-cutter method that often leaves those most at risk far behind. |