OSHA Defends VPP Incentive Policy, Says Program Does Not Target Or Give Preferential Treatment

OSHA is making its position clear to two key Senate backers of the agency's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) that the agency does not target or give preferential treatment to any VPP participants, while defending a policy change last year that made it harder for employers to use injury rate-based incentive programs that OSHA says could discourage injury reporting. The assurances come on the heels of concerns expressed by VPP advocates and a pair of senators over the change regarding how OSHA weighs the use of incentive programs by VPP employers. The program's supporters dispute the agency's