BREMERTON, Wash. –
Leaders from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility, the Bremerton Metal Trades Council and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, Local 12, signed a letter of intent today for PSNS & IMF to file a Voluntary Protection Programs application to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Region X.
VPP recognizes employers and workers in federal agencies and the private industry who have implemented effective safety and health management systems and maintain injury and illness rates below national Bureau of Labor Statistics averages for their respective industries. To participate, employers must submit an application to OSHA and undergo a rigorous onsite evaluation by a team of safety and health professionals. VPP participants are exempt from OSHA-programmed inspections while they maintain their VPP status.
PSNS & IMF first certified as a VPP Star Site in 2006, and was recertified in 2009 and 2014. PSNS & IMF exercised its option to voluntarily withdraw from the VPP in June 2018.
“Safety is our number one priority, and we are excited to return to VPP Star Site status,” said Capt. Dianna Wolfson, commanding officer, PSNS & IMF. “Today’s letter-signing is representative of the teamwork that goes into ensuring safety at the shipyard, and we are thrilled to work alongside our union partners in this effort. We’ve maintained all VPP Star Site standards since we left the program, and we’re glad that the day has come when we’re once again able to seek formal recognition for our efforts. There is nothing more important than the safety of our people and our shipyard employees.”