OSHA Launches Success Pathway for Voluntary Protection Programs 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a Pathway to Safety and Health Success initiative as an extension of its Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). In an Aug. 12, 2025, presentation, Amanda Wood Laihow, acting assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, said the new pathway is part of the agency’s efforts to “build on the success of VPP to enhance safety and health management programs for every workplace.” 

“At the end of the day, we all want the same thing: safer workplaces. Progress occurs when we all work together to protect America’s workers. By investing in compliance assistance and meeting employers where they are, we can make significant progress toward that shared goal.”  

Amanda Wood Laihow
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA 

Six Steps to Success 

The pathway features six steps:  

• Increasing OSHA’s outreach to more companies, especially smaller businesses 
• Transitioning the agency’s OSHA Challenge into a more robust Safety Champions program to facilitate mentorship at VPP worksites and applicant locations. 
• Expanding the voluntary Special Government Employees program, which engages qualified employees to leverage limited OSHA resources and support on-site evaluations, outreach, and compliance functions 
• Using leading indicators to help demonstrate the effectiveness of injury prevention interventions and other workplace health and safety strategies 
• Creating VPP Elite, a new level of distinction for VPP worksites that have maintained a level of excellence for at least 15 years 
• Expanding VPP Safety and Health Management Systems to include seven elements: management commitment and worker involvement; hazard prevention and control; worksite analysis; comprehensive training; performance evaluations for continuous improvement; workplace cultures focused on accident and injury prevention; and leadership on industry-specific exposure hazards and protection measures.