A directive issued recently by OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels addresses an issue that’s been brewing over the past few years: fatalities in workplaces that have been granted VPP status.
A 2009 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found fatalities at 30 VPP sites – some related to OSHA violations -- over a five-year period. Facilities that no longer had exemplary safety records were allowed to remain in the VPP program. A 2011 Center for Public Integrity report uncovered additional deaths at VPP facilities.