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Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
The Voluntary
Protection Program Participants Association
August 27, 2001
Thank you, Lee Anne, for that introduction. I appreciate your support of
companies that are leading the way in safety and health programs.
I also want to thank Jack Hurst from OxyChem for being here today. As
well as the new Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, John
Henshaw. The safety and health community knows John well. President George W.
Bush made a great choice when he picked John to head OSHA.
It's a pleasure to be here with so many friends.
Before I begin, I want to tell you how exciting it is to be part of a
new Administration that is bringing positive change to Washington.
In just the first six months of his tenure, President George W. Bush
secured passage of a major tax cut, moved landmark education reforms through
the House and Senate, forged a compromise on the Patient's Bill of Rights, and
achieved immense progress in giving America the serious energy policy that it
needs.
And these successes were not the work of one party or a handful of
lawmakers. The President invited all sides to the table and worked with
Democrats and Republicans, and yes, even an independent Senator, to get
results.
It reminds me of Ronald Reagan's signature phrase: "There's no limit to
what one can do or where one can go...if they don't mind who gets the credit."
In the time I've spent with President Bush, I have discovered two
secrets to his remarkable success: first, President Bush doesn't sit around
thinking about his "legacy" - instead, he thinks about the American people,
what their concerns are, and how to address them.
Second, President Bush is committed to "changing the tone" in
Washington. For years, ingrained partisanship has been an obstacle to
common-sense changes that most Americans support.
This President is proving that we can get results by respecting the
other side. As he puts it, people can disagree without being disagreeable. It
is possible to achieve progress if one is willing, sometimes, to put politics
aside.
President George W. Bush is a leader who says what he means and means
what he says. While that doesn't always make everyone happy, open and honest
communication does build trust.
And trust is the road to real progress.
VPP is proving that common-sense partnerships can dramatically improve
safety. It's no surprise that you have an injury and illness rate that is 60
percent lower than the average in your respective industries. For the past 19
years, VPP has helped set the standard of health and safety.
I am pleased to see some original VPP members here today - like ALSTOM
Power from Wellsville, New York. And I want to welcome some of our first year
members, including Ciba Specialty Chemicals from Albemarle, North Carolina and
Sauer Danfross from Freeport, Illinois.
VPP participants work in every region and every industry, some are
small like Icicle Seafoods in Anchorage, Alaska. And others are large
businesses with multiple sites and thousands of employees.
In all, more than 750 workplaces with 500,000 employees have joined VPP.
At every site, you will find employees and employers working side by side to
raise the bar on worker safety.
Success stories are found in every company, and all of you deserve
recognition. Let me give you two examples: Citizens Memorial Healthcare in
Bolivar, Missouri is the first nursing home to join VPP. With three nursing
homes in VPP, and more to come, Citizens is now serving as a mentor for other
long-term care facilities.
VPP is demonstrating day-in and day-out the value of voluntary
compliance in the 21st century economy.
As you know, the economy is changing how Americans work, where they
work, what they expect from work, and what they want when they retire.
You could say that the only thing permanent in the economy is
change.
And change brings new challenges. These include a widening gap between
high-skilled jobs and low-skilled workers, a demographic destiny of growing
labor shortages, and the difficulty in balancing the demands of work and
family.
I hope my tenure as Secretary of Labor will oversee the modernization of
the Department of Labor - building a new Department of the Workforce that is
more responsive, more inclusive in how we address workforce challenges in the
21st century.
And that means turning obstacles into opportunities.
For example, future labor shortages will make us a nation more open to
the talents of all our people - including those who have been left out of the
workforce up to now: older workers, Americans with disabilities and the
economically disadvantaged. Opening the doors of opportunity to all used to be
a moral imperative, but it is fast becoming an economic one as well.
As I see it, our job at the Department of Labor is not just to
react to changes, but to anticipate them and enable our workforce to
adapt to them, perhaps even take advantage of them.
I share this because finding solutions for the 21st century workforce
will require new ways of thinking. And the Department must be guided by common
sense, not just a reflexive, one-size-fits-all approach to every situation.
That is why the VPP is so important. When government and industry work
together to implement and promote state-of-the-art safety and health programs,
everyone benefits.
In the months ahead, I will be working to improve VPP by ensuring its
long-term presence within OSHA, as well as increasing its membership -
especially among small businesses.
In that spirit, I am excited to announce today two major initiatives
that will expand and extend your mission to improve workers' safety and health.
First, I am pleased to announce the Department of Labor's official
support for legislation that would codify VPP under the 1970 Occupational
Safety and Health Act. This program has earned a permanent place in OSHA's
mandate.
Second, OSHA and the VPP participants association are forming a new
initiative that will significantly increase the joint outreach to small
businesses through your mentoring program. Over the next three years, OSHA and
the association's member companies will work to double the number of small
businesses in the association.
From large multinational companies to single site, family-run
businesses, VPP can benefit all eligible employers - including small business
owners.
OSHA will help find the candidates. And the association's member
companies will mentor the candidates by modeling excellence, answering
questions, and helping with the applications.
I don't believe the government has all the answers. The government
cannot solve every problem by itself.
In fact, we know that the government is simply unable to ensure safe,
healthy, and fair workplaces on its own. For example, at the current pace it
would take OSHA 167 years to inspect every workplace in America just one time.
It's simple: the Department of Labor must embrace prevention. We must
work with employers and employees-organized and unorganized-to create a
workplace culture that says safety is Number One. We must anticipate problems
before they happen, not just reacting to them after the fact.
Proactive compliance assistance from OSHA is the right thing for
business and workers in the 21st century economy.
In the weeks to come, the Department will begin to develop our
comprehensive compliance initiative - building more joint ventures with
employers and employees. These joint ventures, as VPP has shown, are working
and the Department needs to encourage more of them.
Leadership and responsibility are the anchors that ensure safer, more
productive workplaces. On behalf of the Administration, I commend you for the
remarkable work you are doing in your industries. To view the workplace as a
dichotomy consisting of labor versus management is the old paradigm. Safety at
the workplace is everyone's concern. As we enter the 21st century, new
challenges beckon. Our nation is seeking individuals and groups who lead by
example.
I am reminded of President George W. Bush's inaugural address when he
said, "Americans are generous and strong and decent, not because we believe in
ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves. When this spirit of
citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it. When this spirit
is present, no wrong can stand against it.
You have taken the President's challenge and turned it into action.
Again, congratulations on your wonderful success. Thank you very much.
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