An integrated approach for improving occupational health and safety management: the voluntary protection program in Taiwan.
A voluntary compliance program for occupational health and safety management, Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP), was implemented with a strategy of cooperation and encouragement in Taiwan. Due to limitations on increasing the human forces of inspection, a regulatory-based guideline addressing the essence of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS) was promulgated, which combined the resources of third parties and insurance providers to accredit a self-improving worksite with the benefits of waived general inspection and a merit contributing to insurance premium payment reduction. A designated institute accepts enterprise's applications, performs document review and organizes the onsite inspection. A final review committee of Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) confers a two-year certificate on an approved site. After ten years, the efforts have shown a dramatic reduction of occupational injuries and illness in the total number of 724 worksites granted certification. VPP worksites, in comparison with all industries, had 49% lower frequency rate in the past three years. The severity rate reduction was 80% in the same period. The characteristics of Taiwan VPP program and international occupational safety and health management programs are provided. A Plan-Do-Check-Act management cycle was employed for pursuing continual improvements to the culture fostered. The use of a quantitative measurement for assessing the performance of enterprises' occupational safety and health management showed the efficiency of the rating. The results demonstrate that an employer voluntary protection program is a promising strategy for a developing country.
Su
Teh-Sheng
TS
Department of Safety Health and Environmental Engineering, Chungtai Institute of Health Sciences and Technology, Taiwan, R.O.C. dshee@chtai.ctc.edu.tw
Tsai
Way-Yi
WY
Yu
Yi-Chun
YC
D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D016272:Occupational Health; D017751:Safety Management; D013624:Taiwan; D014838:Volunteers