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Safety Partnership Program (SPP) is a fresh, innovative effort in Kentucky's Occupational Safety and Health Program. It is an outgrowth of federal OSHA's Regional Pilot Project, the Comprehensive Assistance for Safety and Health (CASH) program. It is designed to offer long-term assistance to the smaller employer who has a history of high injury/illness rates and high workers' compensation costs.

This long-term assistance is being provided by the Kentucky Labor Cabinet's Division of Education and Training. The division was created to assist employers and employees with their safety and health needs. The Division of Education and Training and the Division of Compliance function independently of one another without sharing information relative to their activities.

Workers' compensation costs can have a devastating effect on a company's profit margin. Most small employers, especially those in high-hazard industries, feel the impact every day with workplace injuries, but many are at a loss for a permanent solution to resolving injuries in the workplace. They may feel that they can't afford the time, effort and cost to implement and manage an effective, comprehensive safety and health program in their facility. Budgets are tight; therefore, production must remain a top priority, because profit is what business is all about.

The Kentucky OSH Program recognizes and understands these issues. Through this SPP program we want to help improve production, increase morale and significantly reduce your workers' compensation costs. This is an attainable goal for the smaller employer who is willing to work "smarter and harder."

In reviewing its long history of attempting to reduce injuries and illnesses in the workplace, the OSH program has realized that elimination of injuries and illnesses is not something that the government can "effectively" force an employer to do; therefore, it must be a priority for the employer. SPP will show the employer how to develop a proactive approach to safety and health through a safety and health program management system. Potentially, there is a tremendous payback for the employer who embraces this plan, through higher productivity, lower costs, higher morale and better working relationships with employees.

This program is a long-term relationship between the employer and the Division of Education and Training. It will require a minimum three-year commitment in order to participate. Education and Training will provide a team of experienced staff to evaluate, train and assist you and your employees until you have the necessary tools to provide an ongoing safe and healthy work environment.

Please consider this program for your company. While it is not for everyone, those employers who are serious about reducing the costs associated with injuries and illnesses in their workplace are encouraged to participate. This program can help move your company ahead of the competition. And best of all, the resources provided by the Division of Education and Training are FREE OF CHARGE.

Participation in the Safety Partnership Program has several positive outgrowths. The obvious result is a dramatically reduced injury/illness experience, which lowers the cost of doing business through lower workers' compensation costs, reduced costs for replacement of employees (with inexperienced temporaries) and reduced loss of productivity as a result of lost days from work.

It has been documented and proven that when a proactive safety and health program is implemented, employee morale is raised and employees begin to feel more valued in their jobs. When employees feel good about their work environment and their employer, production typically increases. When a proactive Safety and Health Program is implemented, channels of communication are opened up between the employer and the employee, and they begin to see each other in a different light. This has happened in virtually every case in which the employers have truly committed to improving the safety and health of their employees.

Currently, employers should fall within the following criteria for entrance into this program:

  - Employers should be in North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), sector 22 or sectors 31 through 81 and the employer should have a high-injury incidence rate.

  - Number of employees in the establishment should range from 100-250 employees.

  - Employers insurance Experience Modifier should be 1.0 or higher.

  - Management, as well as employees, must be willing to fully participate in this endeavor.

  - Exceptions for eligibility requirements will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Participation in the Safety Partnership Program is a long-term relationship with the Division of Education and Training. It will be an ongoing effort for a minimum of three years and is designed to assist employers in becoming proactive in the safety and health arena by providing them with the proper tools, education and knowledge to address current and future safety and health problems as they occur.

The Division of Education and Training may utilize a "team" of safety and health consultants to provide services to your establishment as needed. Your team will consist of experienced safety and health professionals with a wide array of fields of expertise specially selected to meet needs identified in your facility.

This team will address current hazards in your facility and assist you in abatement methods, review your current record-keeping efforts and offer recommendations, assist you in developing a proactive safety and health program, assist in setting up safety committees and developing solid action plans, assist in training staff and provide other assistance as necessary.

If your company has a high-injury incidence rate, you probably pay a significant sum of money for workers' compensation. In addition, many hidden costs associated with injuries and illnesses significantly increase the total cost. These hidden costs include:

  - Slowing of production due to lost time.

  - Lower productivity from replacement workers.

  - Damage to facility, equipment, raw materials and finished products.

  - Clerical and administrative costs of claims processing.

  - Investigative costs.

The situation does not have to remain this way. There is a solution, and the Division of Education and Training is ready to help.

Companies that have fully embraced and implemented a proactive safety and health program management system have reaped the benefits tenfold.

One such example of the many success stories is the Alumax-Aluminum Division in Magnolia, Ark. When the company decided to prioritize its safety and health effort in 1991 and apply for the Voluntary Protection Program, its workers' compensation costs were $713,766. In 1995, its workers' compensation costs were $66,522, a 90-percent reduction.

Similarly, the Nicolet Paper Co. in DePere, Wis. reduced its costs from $59,111 in 1992 to $18,930 in 1994, a 70-percent reduction.

In addition to these significant economic benefits, employers have reported side stream advantages such as decreased absenteeism, higher morale among employees, a feeling of ownership among employees and an enhanced relationship between labor and management.

Vanity Fair Mills in Milton, Fla. realized a 26-percent decrease in absenteeism from 1991 to 1994. Winpak Portion Packaging in Chicago, Ill. experienced a drop in absenteeism from 6.4 percent in 1993, to 1.86 percent in 1995 (more than a 70-percent decrease).

To compete in today's global economy, companies must achieve better cost savings, enhanced productivity and higher quality production. Implementation of an effective safety and health program management system is one crucial element in becoming or remaining highly competitive in today's market.

 

The division will provide, as needed, expert consultative staff to help resolve safety and health issues in your establishment.

The division will provide ongoing assistance in developing a proactive safety and health management system, including safety committees and long-term planning.

The division will provide assistance in developing a safety and health program tailored to meet your specific needs and abilities.

Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) was designed by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to encourage and recognize excellence in occupational safety and health among smaller employers. During their preparation for SHARP eligibility, employers have the opportunity to learn how to maintain safe and healthy workplaces through the development and implementation of proven and effective safety and health management systems. Assistance and training are provided by qualified consultants who are experienced in helping employers develop safety and health management plans. Employers who receive their first SHARP designation or initial renewal are exempt from programmed inspections for two years. Subsequent renewal of SHARP may result in three-year exemptions from programmed inspections.

In order to be considered for SHARP recognition, an employer must meet the following criteria:

1. Number of employees will not be a limiting factor although smaller employers will be given preference over larger employers in the survey priority.

2. Be in an industry in Kentucky.

3. Be a single, fixed worksite. (Multiple worksites under common control must be evaluated and approved separately. Employers at mobile worksites such as logging and construction are not eligible for SHARP.)

4. Have at least one year of operating history in order to establish a Days Away from Work, Restricted Activity or Job Transfer (DART) rate and a Total Case Rate (TCR).

5. Have reduced the DART rate and the TCR at the worksite to a level below the national industry average for that type of industry.

6. Have no open case file with the KYOSH Division of Compliance.

1. Have requested and received a full service, comprehensive visit from both safety and health consultants from the KYOSH Division of Education and Training and corrected all hazards (serious and other-than-serious) identified by the consultants.

2. Involved employees in the consultation process

3. Have and maintain a Days Away from Work, Restricted Activity or Job Transfer and Total Case Rate below the national average for your industry.

4. Agreed in writing to notify the director of the KYOSH Division of Education and Training prior to making any changes in working conditions or work processes that might introduce new hazards into the workplace.

5. Have implemented and maintained a safety and health management system addressing the major elements.  Click for more information”.  https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/

Although a formal, written safety and health management system is not required for participation in Pre-SHARP, it is strongly recommended. Maintaining a safety and health management system that meets these guidelines is the most challenging requirement of SHARP, and it is the most important component for a safe and healthy workplace.

6. Receive a score of at least two on all 50 basic attributes of the Form 33. Additionally, all “stretch items” of the Form 33 must be scored. “Stretch items” are those safety and health attributes above the basic attributes of a foundational safety and health management system, such as employee participation in hazard prevention and control activities within the worksite.

7. After SHARP certification, you must provide annual evidence of continuing effort to improve safety and health by supplying to KYOSH the following items:
  a. Copy of the OSHA 300 and OSHA 300A logs.
  b. Copy of the worksite’s injury and illness incidents reports.
  c. Completed copy of the annual SHARP’s accomplishments report.

 

Are there exceptions to these requirements?
Although not really an exception, there is a provision that allows the director of the Division of Education and Training to recommend a site for final approval that has already satisfied all SHARP participation criteria and met all SHARP.

A comprehensive KYOSH consultation, which is a requirement for SHARP, gives you and our personnel the opportunity to take an in-depth look at your company and the safety of your employees. When helping you prepare for SHARP, our KYOSH personnel will evaluate several aspects of your business in detail, including:

 

  - a physical review of your workplace (includes on-site examination of records and logs, review of any inspection history, inspection of site con­ditions at the facility.

 

  - interviews with management and employees.

 

  - a hazard study to help identify any existing or potential physical or environmental hazards or unsafe work practices.

 

  - recommendations for improving safety at the facility.

 

  - evaluation of the facility’s job safety and health management plan against recognized effective principles, including identifying weaknesses and providing recommendations for improving the plan.

 

  - hands-on training and technical assistance with hazard abatement.

 

  - a comprehensive report detailing the findings of the consultation.

The safety and health program management system that you institute, paired with a SHARP certification, has many long-term benefits for your company:

 

  - receive public acknowledgement of your safety efforts.

 

  - reinforce your management’s commitment to safety to your employees and customers, prevent workplace injuries and illnesses.

 

  - save your company money by reducing workers’ compensation, medical, training, and other costs associated with injuries and illnesses.

 

  - protect your company’s assets - employees, equipment, supplies, products and facility.

 

  - gain KYOSH programmed inspection exemption.

 

*Caution: You are exempt from scheduled inspections but can be inspected for the following:

 

1. an imminent danger report

 

2. a fatality or catastrophe

 

3. a formal employee compliant or referral from another agency.

Working together, KYOSH, employers and employees identify the safety and health problem they will address and begin to develop a partnership agreement. The agreement may be statewide, regional or local in scope. Partners agree upon individual responsibilities, identify strategies, and establish goals and performance measures to verify results.

Other interested parties, including unions, trade associations, local/state governments, the Consultation Projects and insurance companies, are often brought into the partnership to contribute their expertise and resources. The resulting agreement maximizes the use of non-OSH resources to accomplish tasks such as training employees and developing site-appropriate safety and health management systems. KYOSH serves mainly as a technical resource and facilitator.

Partners can be associations, unions and councils, and industries. Partner worksites may be very large, but most often they are small businesses averaging 50 or fewer employees. All partnerships emphasize sustained efforts and continuing results beyond the typical three-year duration of the agreement. By involving employers and workers in combating the hazards in their workplaces and by encouraging the sharing of success stories and best practices, KYOSH Strategic Partnerships instill pride and commitment in participants.

The partnership program’s most significant feature is its flexibility. This flexibility allows KYOSH and its partners to work together to assess a mutual concern and create a customized agreement that will improve worker safety and health in a way that serves the needs of all partnership participants.

The partnership program is also unique among KYOSH cooperative programs, in that each OSP is intended to impact multiple worksites or employers. This is a departure from the focus on individual worksites that characterizes most of the KYOSH, Division Education and Training Consultation Program.

KYOSH and its partners benefit every time a partnership demonstrates the value of cooperation among employers, workers and other stakeholders. These experiences are excellent industry models to encourage other employers to take a proactive approach.

Additionally, the collaborative nature of the partnership program allows KYOSH to communicate its message and leverage its resources to reach a greater number of employers and employees more consistently, effectively and efficiently than ever before. As a result, KYOSH enforcement program efforts can then be focused where they are needed most--on employers who violate the OSHA act and disregard the safety and health of their employees.

The OSP program benefits employers by helping them develop practical skills to identify and abate hazards and establish effective safety and health management systems. These management systems serve to continually improve worker protections and create a corporate culture that values worker safety as much as production and profit. The OSP program also offers employers access to technical assistance, educational resources and training. Employers benefit further from reduced workers' compensation rates and other costs, lower absenteeism, and increased productivity and employee morale.

Through mentoring and the sharing of lessons learned, partnerships foster enhanced relationships for employers within their industries and communities. Additionally, partnerships help transform the relationship employers have with KYOSH. Instead of viewing KYOSH as an adversary, employers within an OSP learn that KYOSH can be a willing listener and useful ally.

No. Because of the varying circumstances between your individual environment and the guidelines, it is not possible to cover all the information that may apply to your worksite. For that reason, these courses provide the basic information that any participant should know to apply safety and health standards to their workplace.

Yes. Participants must pass a final quiz to obtain their certificate. Once you pass the quiz you will have the option to print or save your personalized certificate of completion.

The courses are set up to allow you to take the quiz and then you may print or save the certificate after you pass the quiz. If you failed to print or save the certificate, then you will have no option, but to take the course again.

Certificates are given to participants who attend the live webinars. However, we are not able to give certificates for recorded webinars due to the fact that viewers can fast-forward through the webinar and may or may not complete the training.

Click on the contact tab above where you may send an email to the administrator who will assist you in getting your certificate.