Roscoe Recertifies for OSHA SHARP Program

Two years ago when Roscoe Co., Chicago, became one of only 34 employers in Illinois to have met all of the qualifications for certification under OSHA’s Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP), it placed the company in an elite group of businesses for exemplary workplace safety and health. The company recently recertified for the SHARP program, according to a company blog post.

“The recognition grants Roscoe an exemption from OSHA-programmed inspections for up to three years, but the real value is knowing that we have done the hard work to ensure that our team members are working under the safest possible conditions,” the post noted.

Given the challenges that businesses continue to face with the COVID-19 pandemic, to have earned such recognition a second time is a particularly gratifying achievement, said HR Team and Safety Coordinator Theresa Faulkner.

Maintenance & Fleet Team Leader Israel Cartagena agreed. “The safety of our team members has always been our top priority and will continue to be,” said Cartagena, a tenured member of the Roscoe Safety Committee.

As a key driver for maintaining a culture of safety throughout the organization, the SHARP designation is also an important part of ongoing continuous improvement efforts at Roscoe. The process is thorough. Prior to a site visit, Roscoe had to provide information that included OSHA 300 logs for the past three years, a comprehensive equipment list and maintenance records. On the day of the consultant’s visit, the company’s safety manual was given a complete review, safety training logs were reviewed for compliance with the company’s protocols and a comprehensive facility tour was conducted. Finally, various exposure-monitoring equipment was used to check noise levels, air quality and heavy-metal exposure.

“This type of safety and hygiene consulting could cost thousands of dollars if done through a private firm, but this federally-funded program helps promote workplace safety by providing these services at no charge,” Faulkner said.

A summary of findings is provided in a follow-up report and businesses are given 30 days to remediate any “serious issues” and implement suggested improvements. Failing to correct “serious issues” results in a report to OSHA. Roscoe received high marks throughout, including steps taken by operations team members processing textiles and by service team members making deliveries throughout the company’s market area during the pandemic.

To read the full blog post, click here.