August 20, 2003—The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently praised Siemens Energy & Automation, Bellefontaine, Ohio, as one of the most effective employers in the nation in protecting workers by welcoming the plant into the prestigious Star category of the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).
“This facility has operated at a safety rate superior to the national average for injury and illness incidence in similar workplaces,” said OSHA Area Director Jule Jones, Toledo. “We believe that the cooperation between management and employees at this site is key to their success and we hope the entire industry will seek to emulate their effort.”
The Bellefontaine operation employs approximately 850 full or part-time workers performing various production duties. Work on the site involves the manufacturing of electrical distribution equipment.
The VPP recognizes and promotes effective workplace safety and health management. In the program, management, labor and OSHA establish a cooperative relationship at a worksite that has implemented strong safety and health systems. Star participants, which meet all VPP requirements, are at the top of the program’s recognition ladder. OSHA will not target a VPP-approved worksite for any regularly scheduled programmed inspections, although the site must continue to abide by all OSHA safety and health standards, and the agency will respond to workers’ complaints and serious accidents.
