I am pleased to present to you the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry 2019 Annual Report. We have made great strides this year in our work of improving the health and safety of workplaces; job training through Registered Apprenticeship; protection of children from hazardous employment; and the safe operations of boiler and pressure vessels for Virginia’s workers. Some of those accomplishments include:

DOLI was awarded a $1.67 million grant by USDOL Employment and Training Administration for the purpose of expanding Registered Apprenticeship. This year, our Registered Apprenticeship Division registered over 3,500 new apprentices and issued over 1,600 completion certificates.

In 2019, VOSH Safety and Health Compliance Officers performed 2,200 inspections. During these inspections over 12,870 hazards were identified and corrected. In concert with the Health Compliance program, all DOLI compliance officers investigated approximately 400 employee complaints and 247 referrals in the past year.

Our VOSH Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) recognized 17 businesses for satisfying all requirements of the program including correcting all identified hazards and maintaining an injury and illness prevention program.

VPP certified two new sites and recertified seven through the Virginia STAR program, bringing the combined total to 34 active STAR sites that demonstrate excellence in worker safety and health.

Throughout the year, VPP Best Practices days were held by United Airlines, Dominion Energy, and Goodyear. The events were attended by over 100 businesses represented by over 250 workers.

In May, DOLI was presented with an Associated General Contractors of Virginia Special Recognition Award for their work with the Virginia BEST Program. The VADOC Challenge program was joined by eight correctional centers from across Virginia. These facilities join Augusta and Lunenburg Correctional Centers who have already achieved recognition as VPP STAR sites.

Youth Employment Certificate applications have increased 62% in the past three years. Youth employment certificate applications increased 15% in 2019. The Division received and processed 18,803 employment certificate applications.

During 2019, in a continuing effort to prevent accidents, Boiler Safety focused on finding unregistered objects in automobile industries, apartment buildings, and laundry and dry cleaning establishments.

We at DOLI remain committed to serving the citizens, employers, and workers of the Commonwealth. Our qualified and highly-trained staff are available to assist you at our offices located throughout the Commonwealth. For additional information on our programs and services, please visit our website at http://www.doli.virginia.gov.

If my staff or I can be of assistance, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely

C. Ray Davenport
Commissioner