The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) Consultation Department will present Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) with a “STAR Site” designation, recognizing exemplary and comprehensive safety and health management systems. ADOSH representatives conducted an audit of safety practices at MIHS’ main hospital in Phoenix, as well as its other external clinics.
The award, designated through the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), will be presented during a ceremony on Thursday, June 27 at 9 a.m. at Maricopa Medical Center at 2601 East Roosevelt Street, Phoenix.
VPP is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) highest program of recognition across all United States OSHA organizations. It recognizes employers and workers in private and federal workplaces who have exemplified effective safety and health management systems to achieve injury and illness rates more than 50 percent below the national average.
“We carefully inspected the facilities of Maricopa Integrated Health System and found a safety culture who communicated safety as a top priority on a daily basis and best practices were utilized throughout the campus,” said Jessie Atencio, assistant director and consultation and training program manager for ADOSH. “Their team should be proud of the advances they have made in order to ensure a safe working environment.”
To qualify for VPP status, employers must submit an application to OSHA and undergo an onsite evaluation by a team of safety and health professionals. VPP participants and sites earning the “STAR Site” designation are re-evaluated every three to five years in order to remain in the programs. VPP participants are exempt from OSHA programmed inspections while they maintain their VPP status.
