TOSHA Recognition Programs

TOSHA Honors Employers That Set the Standard in Safety

By Karen Grigsby
Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Rolled Metal Products-South recently became the newest member of an elite group of Tennessee employers recognized for their commitment to worker safety.

Last month the Lebanon facility celebrated its certification as a Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) site. There are only 11 SHARP sites in Tennessee.

These businesses have worked with Tennessee OSHA consultants to identify and address hazards and implement effective safety and health programs. They’ve also maintained injury and illness rates below the national average for their industry.

SHARP is one of two prestigious recognition programs offered by Tennessee OSHA. The other is the Voluntary Protection Program, or VPP. TOSHA also offers two safety awards.

Businesses that have been honored have reported a boost in employee morale, fewer lost-workday injuries, and lower workers’ compensation costs.

“As far as SHARP goes, it recognizes that particular company as being a leader in safety and health in the industry. And that recognition goes a long way,” said Jeff Campbell, the Consultation Program Manager at TOSHA. “Companies actively seek this recognition.”

SHARP and VPP status are hard to earn and even harder to maintain.

Rolled Metal Products first inquired about SHARP in 2015, but it took three years before the stainless steel and aluminum strip supplier achieved SHARP status. In 2022, it lost its status after an increase in its injury and illness rates. RMP then partnered with TOSHA Consultation to correct deficiencies and strengthen its programs. After no recorded injuries or illnesses last year or this year, RMP was recertified in August.

“What I appreciate about them is they didn’t give up. They stayed committed to it,” Campbell said.

Employees at Rolled Metal Products - South in Lebanon celebrate the company's certification as a Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) site. There are only 11 SHARP sites in Tennessee.

How to Become a VPP or SHARP Site

Tennessee employers that are interested in joining VPP must first submit an application that includes information about their safety program and injury and illness rates.

Once the application has been approved, a team from TOSHA will conduct an extensive on-site evaluation. They’ll identify any hazards and determine where there may be gaps in the business’s safety and health management system that could have caused those hazards. They’ll also interview employees from each shift to gain feedback about the effectiveness of the safety system.

If the business meets all eligibility requirements, the TOSHA team will recommend certification to the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Deniece Thomas. If she grants it, a ceremony is scheduled at the site, where the company is presented with a crystal award and a flag.

Businesses that earn VPP certification are granted an exemption from TOSHA programmed inspections for three years. (They’re still subject to enforcement inspections in the case of a fatality, amputation, or formal complaint.)

The certification process is similar with SHARP. However, new SHARP sites are exempt from compliance inspections for only 12 months. After that year, SHARP sites can be recertified and exempted from inspections for three years.

There are 33 VPP sites in Tennessee. The smallest has four employees; the largest, Eastman Chemical, has about 10,000.

The achievement is a big deal for businesses of all sizes.

“Being a VPP site says not only are you meeting the intent of the OSHA standards, but you’re going above and beyond to protect your employees,” said VPP Manager Sherry Binford. “You’re always striving to find ways to continuously improve your processes, your equipment, your policies, and your procedures.”

An hour away at Rolled Metal Products, safety is a top priority from the moment workers clock in for the day.

Every morning, the foreman leads a kickoff meeting in which he discusses safety and health topics. There is a mandatory safety meeting each Wednesday that covers OSHA standards such as heat exposure and ladder safety.

RMP also has a behavior-based safety team that includes managers, shop workers, and office employees. The team conducts 12 safety observations around the facility each month, noting whether a crane operator is paying attention or an office worker is properly lifting a box. They grade each observation on a scale of 1 to 3 based on severity and how often the issue typically occurs.

Findings are shared and discussed with the entire staff. The most serious issues are addressed and corrected.

Employees at RMP don’t just report hazards. They often go a step further and speak with any co-worker who is acting in an unsafe manner, explaining what’s wrong and how to fix it.

With such a small staff — only 28 people work at the Lebanon facility — employees look out for one another, said Operations Manager Rich McDonald, who has been with RMP for nearly 33 years.

It hasn’t always been that way, though.

“When I started here at the company, we didn’t have the safety culture that we have now. I mean, it’s embedded in everybody’s brain,” McDonald said. “Safety is first and foremost before anything is.”