When a visitor drives into the front gate at Chevron Phillips Chemical’s Cedar Bayou Plant, one of the first things he may notice is the proliferation of colorful banners flying in front of the facility. Each of the banners, including the 2014 National Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Outreach Award, recognizes Chevron Phillips Chemical’s outstanding safety record.
“We have 12 flags flying in front of our plants,” said Chevron Phillips Chemical STAR Safety Facilitator Aaron Dale Miller. “That’s a lot of work that took a lot of years. But it’s well worth it because it’s made our plant a lot safer.”
Miller is a member of the VPP Mentoring Team, a group of eight individuals representing companies with proven track records of safety performance who guide other companies toward achieving VPP STAR certification.
“What better way is there to help mentor other companies than from a group standpoint?” Miller reasoned, addressing delegates at the Region VI Voluntary Protection Programs’ 2015 Annual Safety and Health Conference, held recently in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Miller stressed VPP STAR certification requires effort and teamwork, regardless of whether the company is small and independently owned or a large corporation.
“You can’t just sit back and say, ‘Well, I think we’ll become VPP now.’ It takes a lot of people and a lot of effort. You really do need help, and one person doesn’t always have the answers,” he said.
Miller and VPP Mentoring Team co-member, Lesli Trahan, recommended a multipoint plan of action for other companies seeking VPP certification. The first task is to attend a VPP seminar hosted by a VPP core team.
“We have companies that are not VPP bring in their people who make decisions — their CEOs, presidents and managers,” Trahan, Chevron Phillips Chemical STAR safety facilitator, explained. “They come on-site so they know what to expect before they jump into it. We want them to know they’re not alone in the process. We don’t just tell them to ‘get the STAR’ but that there are people who are there to support them.”
The mentoring team encourages companies to submit a letter of commitment from their company’s CEO or equivalent leadership as a visible indication of their commitment to receiving VPP certification.
“To me, the commitment is the biggest part of it,” Miller said.
VPP mentors then discuss the procedure the company should follow and set a timeline for activities.
“It’s like anything else. Over the course of time you may lose momentum, and that’s where we come in,” Miller said. “We’ll encourage our companies to not lose focus.”
Following ongoing analysis, mentors conduct a mock audit to determine whether the company is ready to be audited by OSHA.
“We go out as a team, and do it just as OSHA would, with all the paperwork,” Trahan said. “We know what to look for.”
The team conducts as many as three “dress rehearsals” prior to OSHA’s VPP audit, allowing personnel to address any problem or weak areas that might delay or interfere with certification.
Upon passing the mock audit to the mentors’ satisfaction, the company is ready to submit its application to OSHA and schedule an on-site audit. Successful completion of the OSHA audit results in VPP certification and, possibly, one of those colorful flags.
Despite the myriad recognitions and awards bestowed on Chevron Phillips Chemical and the companies he’s helped mentor, Miller stressed VPP certification is about much more than the applause and colorful banners.
“It doesn’t make us perfect,” he said. “It’s a work in progress at all times.”
Ultimately, “It’s about making the employee safer,” he concluded.
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