From the Oregon SHARP Alliance Board,

To Assist Oregon Employers

An Alliance Guide toAchieving SHARP

SHARPSafety and Health Achievement Recognition Program

A Recognition Programto provide

incentive for employerswho

develop and implementan effective

Safety and Health Program Safety and Health Program Management PlanManagement Plan

SHARP:A Process

• Encourages work toward self-sufficiency

• Utilize OR-OSHA consultation staff

• Initially– Recognition program– Aimed at smaller companies that

need more help

VPP Level

Majorityof

OregonEmployers

Targeted by Enforcement

SHARP Level

Eligibility

• Oregon employers– In business for at least one year– Subject to workers’ compensation insurance– Management / corporate commitment– DART rate below industry average or trending

downward*

* In the Portland area, a pilot is underway to allow sites into SHARP with rates aboveindustry averages as long as there is a 5-year downward trend in injury/illnes rates

Consultation’s SHARP Tools

• Comprehensive Consultation– Safety, Health and Ergonomic– All shifts and operations

• SHARP Assessment Form– 2 or better on all 58 elements– Tips and Attributes

• Injury and Illness Rates– Published on web page

SHARP Participation

• Requires employers and employees to work together to;– Find and correct hazards– Develop and implement effective S&H programs– Continuosly improve safety and health– Become self-sufficient in S&H management

Hazard Anticipationand Detection

Creating a SHARP Safety Culture-

Planning & Evaluation

ManagementLeadership

Hazard Prevention & Control

Safety & Health Management

Program Safety & HealthTrainingAdministration

& Supervision

EmployeeParticipation(Involvement)

What does SHARP look like?

• Compliance and beyond – OSHA standards are the minimum acceptable levels

• An occupational safety and health program– Able to maintain itself without outside aid– Capable of providing for itself, that which it needs to survive

• Mature, Pro-Active Culture– Management Led, Employee Driven

• Continuous Improvement Mode– Actively working to be better– Not satisfied with “where they are”

SHARP Process FlowchartCompany requests initial SHARP Assessment

Intake completed / Consultation scheduled

Follow-up comprehensive Consultation with program assessment, completed and sent

Qualified for SHARP Not Qualified for SHARP

Action Plan Developed

Action Plan Implemented

Company requests follow-up assessment

Initial comprehensive Consultation with program assessment, completed and sent

Qualified for SHARP Not Qualified for SHARP

First Year SHARP Awarded

Before Approval

• Commitment letter on file

• DART Rates below industry average*

• Action Plans completed

• Consultant’s verification of correction

• Acceptable rating on SHARP assessment form

On-going SHARP Aproval

• Approval for one year only– Renew SHARP annually by requesting

comprehensive consultation– Continual increasing site involvement in the

SHARP evaluation process

• Inspection Exemption– After second-year approval

• Graduation after five years

Action Planning(Goal Setting)

• White Rabbit (Alice in Wonderland)– If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get

you there!

• Plan – Do – Check – Act– W. Edwards Demming – 1950’s

• “Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail”– John Wooden

• A job well planned is a job well done!– Plan the Work, Work the Plan

SHARP Commitment Letter

• Employer must agree in writing – To a comprehensive survey of all operations

– To involve employees in the process

– To work to correct hazards with written verification

– To develop, implement & improve all 7 elements• And maintain DART below statewide average

– To develop & maintain a written S&H program

– To achieve an acceptable assessment rating

– To inform FCM of changes that could introduce hazards

– To notify FCM when ready for follow-up

SHARP BOTTOM LINE

• To qualify, employers must:• Agree to a Comprehensive Consultation;• Correct all hazards identified in the consultation;• Implement all elements of an effective Safety & Health

Program Management Plan;• Significantly involve employees in the Safety & Health

Program Management Plan; and• Achieve an acceptable rating in the final assessment of

the Safety & Health Program Management Plan.

What have these companies gained?

• Willamette Landscape Services (60 employees)

– During the five years leading to their SHARP designation, reduced the number of lost-time workplace injuries and illnesses by 75%

– Achieved a DART rate that is 55% below statewide industry average.

– “SHARP has helped us become a better company. We are a more conscientous employer now, and I feel great knowing that we can offer safe and productive employment to anybody who would like to work with us” Matt Triplett, VP

Roseburg Forest Products Road to SHARP…

• Mid-1980’s to early 1990’s– Had several fatalities

– OR-OSHA was out to close us down• Possibly prosecute someone

• Safety during that period was at best:– A distance third to

• Production• Quality

• Our “safety program” was largely:– Regulation driven

• We did just what we had to

What has SHARP done for us:• Given us the focus we didn’t have

• Provided a road map for improvement

• Helped us establish a baseline of which we could measure that improvement

• Helped to give all our employees a “piece of the action”

Benefits of being a SHARP participant

• Going through the SHARP process:

– Identifies your weak points

– Gives you a focus

– Helps you establish your goals & objectives

Benefits of being a SHARP participant

• Attaining SHARP recognition gives:

– Your workforce a sense of pride

– Sense of accomplishment

• Steppingstone to VPP

• Provides you with a network

Quotes from 2 SHARP Graduates

"The service from Oregon OSHA's Consultation Services' is outstanding! Our savings on claims costs have been enormous. Annual claims costs have dropped 64 percent and lost workdays have fallen 79 percent."City of Portland, Columbia Wastewater Treatment Plant

Our Oregon OSHA consultants were wonderful!! They never pushed, only encouraged. Never criticized, only motivated. They were our cheerleaders as well as our coaches. Our Lost Workday Cases Incident Rate went from 28.99 in 2000 to 0.00 in 2002."Mid-Valley Healthcare

Resources

• Oregon OSHA– www.orosha.org

• Oregon SHARP Companies– www.orosha.org/consult/sharppar.htm

• Oregon SHARP Alliance– www.sharpalliance.org

SHARP Alliance Activities

• Promoting SHARP

• Promoting Alliance membership

• Mentoring

• Networking

• Training

• Input to Oregon-OSHA

• Assist new sites working toward SHARP

Mentoring

• The sharing of experience – Successes & Failures

• Learning from someone who has done it– The ability to see an effective program in action

– See what a culture of continuous improvement looks like

• Motivating the organization– Employees/manager/supervisors

– Meaningful & active involvement with S&H

Networking

• Ability to get useful information from a peer– Meaningful training, successful programs, etc.

• Don’t recreate the wheel– Access to proven results rather than trail and error

• Discovering what works and what doesn’t work– From someone who has already been there

• Developing relationships – Enhancing credibility

The Oregon SHARP Alliance

• A resource to all new sites working toward SHARP

• Experienced Guides

• Willing and Able to Help!