Georgia-Pacific’s star status has been renewed. The Department of Consumer and Business Services, Occupational Safe…
Georgia-Pacific’s star status has been renewed. The Department of Consumer and Business Services, Occupational Safety and Health division renewed the Voluntary Protection Program Star Award Status in the company’s Toledo pulp and paper mill in recognition of its continuous efforts towards workplace safety. There are nine VPP sites in Oregon, but the Toledo mill is the only mill in the state to be certified as a VPP star site.
A workplace safety and health management program, VPP encourages and engages workers to voluntarily strive to attain stringent safety standards designed to protect themselves, and to reduce injuries.
“VPP sites are recognized as safety-and-health leaders,” said Peter De Luca, administrator of Oregon OSHA. “VPP changes the traditional relationship between industries and Oregon OSHA, and Georgia-Pacific’s Toledo operation is among a select group of over 1,000 sites in the United States,” he added.
In 1996, the mill was amongst the first employers to participate in the program. Toledo earned its five-year re-certification following a health and safety review by Oregon OSHA earlier this year. To achieve VPP status, a workplace must have a three-year average injury and illness rate at or below the rates of other employers in the same industry.
Print this page
