Saint Paul Health Center is a skilled nursing facility located near downtown Denver. It is home to a 125-bed healthcare community and a 30-bed short-term rehabilitation facility. Saint Paul Health Center places a high value on its employees and continues to take steps to retain an educated and skilled staff by ensuring that employee safety, health, and well-being remains a top priority.

To continue to improve its workplace safety and health, the company contacted and began a collaboration with the Colorado State University Occupational Health and Safety Consultation program in 2006.

The Colorado Consultation program worked with the company to correct hazards associated with deficiencies in OSHA-mandated written programs, including the company’s Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan and Hazard Communication Program. Additional measures to correct hazards included, but were not limited to, the development of personal protective equipment (PPE) hazard assessments, the installation of an eyewash station where corrosive chemicals were handled, the repair of damaged electrical equipment, and clearance of access to other electrical equipment.

Saint Paul Health Center was approved for Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) status in 2008 and received its most recent approval in October of 2022. SHARP acknowledges small and medium-sized businesses that have used OSHA On-Site Consultation Program services and operate exemplary workplace safety and health programs. Small businesses that achieve SHARP status receive a deferral from OSHA or the State Plan programmed inspections for the period that the SHARP designation is valid. Acceptance of a worksite into SHARP is an achievement that identifies the employer as a model for occupational safety and health among its business peers.

In the years since Saint Paul Health Center received their initial SHARP status in 2008, no health or safety hazards have been identified during subsequent SHARP renewal visits. The company continues to focus on increasing employee involvement and participation. The company has started a “lunch box” program with safety talks, monthly safety tips are posted on community boards, and a recognition program was established that incentivizes safe behaviors. The company’s effective safety and health management system allowed the facility to adapt quickly to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Companies interested in SHARP can contact their local OSHA On-Site Consultation program to discuss details and schedule an onsite safety and health evaluation. OSHA On-Site Consultation Program offers no-cost and confidential occupational safety and health services to small and medium-sized businesses in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories, with priority given to high-hazard worksites. Consultants from state agencies or universities work with employers to identify workplace hazards and how to fix them, provide advice for compliance with OSHA standards, train and educate workers, and assist in establishing and improving safety and health programs. On-Site Consultation services are separate from OSHA enforcement efforts. To locate the OSHA On-Site Consultation program nearest you, call 1-800-321-OSHA (6742) or visit www.osha.gov/consultation.