Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division

Consultation and Services Section 

SHARP

(Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program) 
 

Program Overview. SHARP is a recognition program which provides an incentive and road map for Oregon employers to work with their employees to find and correct hazards, to develop and implement effective Safety and Health Programs, to continuously improve, and become self-sufficient in safety and health. The overall goal is to reduce injuries and illnesses, and to provide a means for showing other employers that occupational safety and health can work--for everyone. SHARP is a program of the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) Consultation and Services Section. Guidance in this document is intended for use with employers who have requested to become candidates for SHARP. 

Recognition. To promote effective safety and health program management, continuous improvement, and to provide models for others to follow, SHARP recognizes employers who find and correct hazards, and who implement effective Safety and Health Programs. Recognition is achieved by:  

1. Encouraging employers to use Oregon OSHA Consultation, Technical, and Training resources, and to involve their employees in establishing effective Safety and Health Programs. SHARP employers are further encouraged to network with others and to become members of a private SHARP organization (The SHARP Alliance) which is also devoted to safety and health improvement and networking.  

2. Providing for public recognition of employers and employees as models who have worked together successfully to establish effective Safety and Health Programs. This includes awarding the employer a SHARP certificate of achievement signed by the Administrator of Oregon OSHA, and using these recognitions as models for other Oregon employers.  

Program Eligibility. All Oregon employers who have been in business for more than one year are eligible regardless of size or type of business; however, the division will emphasize the benefits of SHARP to small (250 employees or fewer) high hazard businesses.  

Program Requirements. Prior to the SHARP process beginning, employers requesting initial pursuit of SHARP must agree in writing to the following basic tenets of SHARP. The agreement must be sent to the Oregon OSHA Field Consultation Manager. The employer must agree: 

1. To a comprehensive consultation survey of all conditions and operations at the establishment, including a complete safety and health systems review. 

2. To involve employees in the development, operation, and improvement of all elements of the written workplace safety and health program as well as in the decisions that affect their safety and health. At union and non-union sites, if the employee representatives object to the site’s involvement in SHARP, the Field Consultation Manager will advise the employer that the application cannot go forward until both labor and management agree on participation in SHARP. 

3. To work diligently to accomplish all of the following: 

a. Correct all identified safety and health hazards, and provide the Field Consultation Manager with written confirmation that each identified hazard has been corrected within an agreed upon time frame. 

b. Develop, implement, or improve all elements of an effective safety and health management system at the site. 

c. Maintain the lost workday case incident rate (LWDCIR) for the establishment or employer (mobile work sites) to a level at, or below, the state average for that industry, based on at least one full year of operation. 

4. To develop and maintain a written safety and health program addressing the seven key elements outlined in Oregon OSHA Publication No. 2293. 

5. To satisfy the requirement that the employer achieves a rating of at least 75% on the required attributes of the Oregon OSHA Safety and Health Program Assessment Tool.

6. To inform the Field Consultation Manager prior to making any changes in working conditions or work processes that might introduce new hazards into the workplace. "Changes" mean additions to buildings, new processes, i.e., painting of parts rather than purchasing them already painted, new lines of machinery, etc. "Changes" do not include process changes at construction or other mobile sites. 

7. To notify the Field Consultation Manager when all elements of SHARP have been implemented so a consultant can make a follow-up visit. 
 

Conduct of a Visit. In the opening meeting, the consultant(s) will review the employer's request for consultation assistance, and will review the program requirements with the employer to ensure the employer understands the commitment necessary to pursue SHARP. As the SHARP process progresses from the hazard identification stage to the Safety and Health Program improvement stage, the employer will need to commit additional resources to develop and complete action plans.  

Employee Participation. Employers electing to pursue SHARP must be committed to working to develop a written Safety and Health Program that involves employees in significant ways that affect their safety and health.  

Comprehensive Consultation. A comprehensive consultation of the employer's establishment must be conducted covering all operations, including a complete Safety and Health Program review. All hazards identified will be discussed in light of how the elements of an effective Safety and Health Program would address their continued correction and control. Using the Safety and Health Program assessment tool, and following the guidance found in the Oregon OSHA Consultation Reference Guide, the consultant will discuss with the employer the elements of an effective program. 

1. The employer will be informed that the consultant will remain available to coach the employer and employees to develop or improve any existing elements, and that Oregon OSHA training resources are available to assist with skill development. Achieving SHARP, however, is the employer’s responsibility, and Oregon OSHA’s time onsite will continue to shorten as the employer builds capacity toward being self-sufficient.  

2. Successful SHARP candidates must achieve a safety and health program effectiveness rating of 75 percent or better out of a possible point value of 100 following the assessment of their program. If a rating for one indicator or more falls in the range below a "3", the employer may still be recognized as a SHARP employer if the overall rating is 75 percent or better and the indicator(s) with a low rating is part of an action plan for continuous improvement. In addition, if the employer is weak in an area of safety and health for which safety and health rules have yet to be adopted, such as Ergonomics, or requires long term investment or improvements, such as ventilation systems engineering, SHARP may be attained if the area needing improvement is part of a continuous improvement action plan. 

Closing Meeting. In the closing meeting, the consultant will: 

1. Describe the hazards identified during the consultation, and which program elements would have prevented the hazard from occurring. 

2. Discuss suggested methods of correction, time frames for correction, and any need for referrals to other section staff for hazards beyond the expertise of the consultant. 

3. Describe the adequacies and areas needing improvement of the employer's Safety and Health Program. 

4. Decide with the employer the extent to which additional short coaching sessions may be needed during the interim one year (or longer) period to facilitate and monitor the Safety and Health Program improvement process. 

5. Develop a schedule for one or more visits, which are expected to become shorter as the employer progresses toward self-sufficiency. During the SHARP process the consultant will remain in contact with the employer, to help the SHARP applicant move forward. 

6. Leave at least one copy of the completed Oregon OSHA Safety and Health Program Assessment Tool (if already completed) with the employer so the employer can use it as a tool to work toward full Program implementation. The employer will also be reminded that, at the end of the implementation period, the employer is responsible for requesting a consultation for final, onsite evaluation for SHARP approval.

Written Report. After the consultant conducts the comprehensive consultation, the employer will be advised that a written report explaining the findings of the visit and confirming any correction periods will be provided at a later date. The written report will reflect the consultant's findings and recommendations for hazard correction, and Safety and Health Program improvements identified as necessary. 

Action Plan. The consultant will coach the employer to develop action plans that map out the employer's progress in implementing an effective Safety and Health Program, and other safety or health areas needing long term improvement. 

1. The action plan(s) is developed by the employer following the initial comprehensive consultation. The consultant and employer together will discuss the elements of the action plan(s) and the specific time frames for achieving plan items.  

2. An action plan outlines the specific steps that will be accomplished by the employer to merit SHARP approval. The action plan should address, where applicable: 

a. The employer's correction of all identified safety and health hazards which require long term abatement methods, with time frames. 

b. The steps necessary for the employer to implement parts of an effective Safety and Health Program, with time frames. 

SHARP Approval and Certificate Issuance. 

1.  After ensuring that the employer has met all requirements for final approval, including one or more action plans for continuous improvement, Oregon OSHA will obtain from the employer a signed letter requesting final SHARP approval. 

2. Upon receipt of written verification from the consultation team that the employer has met all of the requirements for SHARP approval, the Consultation and Services Manager will award a SHARP certificate to the employer. 
 

Renewing SHARP/Continuous Improvement. SHARP recognition is granted in 12 month increments. Accordingly, employers must apply for renewal during the last quarter of the approval year. The consultant may visit onsite with the employer to ensure the Safety and Health Program is being effectively maintained and continuously improved, or ask for documentation from the employer in lieu of such a visit. Regardless, workplace hazards must remain under control, and the LWDCIR must have remained at, or below the state average. Because the employer is making progress toward self sufficiency, the time spent by Oregon OSHA for renewal should be short.  

Renewal is dependent on the consultant’s assessment of continued program improvement and effectiveness. If all requirements for SHARP are verified as operating effectively by the consultant and improvement has been demonstrated, Oregon OSHA will inform the employer that the employer’s renewal has been approved. 

Scheduled Inspection Deferral. An employer who has been approved as SHARP for the second and subsequent years will be deferred from scheduled Oregon OSHA inspections. Inspection deferral is an acknowledgment by the agency that enforcement resources would be better used at work sites where the level of accident prevention may need improvement. Following the approval of second and subsequent SHARP participation, the Consultation and Services Manager will forward the approval to the Manager of Enforcement, who will defer the establishment from the scheduled inspection lists. Oregon OSHA will continue to make inspections in the following categories: Imminent Danger, Fatality/Catastrophe, Serious Accidents, and Complaints/ Referrals.

Failure to Meet or Maintain Requirements. An employer's SHARP approval and/or inspection deferral will be terminated if the Consultation and Services Manager or Oregon OSHA’s Administrator determines the employer's failure to meet, or maintain SHARP requirements represents a lack of good faith in relation to those requirements, and/or a significant reduction in worker protection. Except in egregious cases, the employer will be given the opportunity to withdraw from the program, rather than be terminated. 

For further information call: 800-922-2689 or see our web site at www.orosha.org  

2/22/01 

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