Workplace safetyDetails of a historic partnership between the US and health and safety agencies in the Republic and Northern Ireland have been announced by the Tánaiste and Minster for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney.
The US Department of Labour's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) in Dublin and the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) are collaborating on the development of an EU model of the prestigious US health and safety recognition scheme, the Voluntary Protection Programme (VPP).
OSHA has operated the Voluntary Protection Programme successfully in the US for many years as a means of recognising work sites which manage health and safety at work to an exemplary standard.
The US experience has found that the average VPP worksite has an illness and injury rate which is 50 per cent below industry average. Sites obtaining either "Star" or "Merit" recognition are exempt from routine proactive inspections by OSHA compliance officers.
The joint Ireland North-South initiative plans to transpose the programme to Ireland by initiating a pilot scheme with eight companies. These companies have US parent companies already participating in the scheme.
The Tánaiste said: "The Voluntary Protection Programme encourages and enables best practice in occupational safety and health and ultimately is designed to prevent injury and save lives."