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OSHA News Release -
Birmingham
Region
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Region 10 News Release: 08-1796-SEA (#08-150)
Dec. 15, 2008
Contact: Jeannine Lupton
Phone: 206-553-7620
U.S. Labor Department's OSHA awards safety and health star to Parsons Technical Support Service in Renton, Wash.
SEATTLE -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will recognize Parsons Technical Support Service Contract (TSSC) III in Renton, Wash., for excellence in employee safety and health when the agency welcomes the facility into its Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) at the star, or highest, level. A ceremony will be held Dec. 18 at 11:30 a.m. PST at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1801 E. Valley Road, in Renton.
Parsons TSSC III supports implementation of the Federal Aviation Administration's facilities and equipment programs in the Aviation System Capital Investment Plan and some reimbursable programs, including those from Airport Improvement Program appropriations under the National Airspace System and aviation safety. The TSSC III project team includes Parsons as the prime contractor and Lockheed Martin as the subcontractor/partner. The contract work includes program management, site surveys, engineering, construction, environmental and fire life safety, electronic equipment installation and testing, drafting and other technical services.
The company currently employs 68 people in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
"I congratulate the employees and management of Parsons TSSC III, as well as project subcontractors, for developing and implementing an effective safety and health program that reduces on-the-job injuries and illnesses," said Richard S. Terrill, OSHA's regional administrator in Seattle.
The facility joins an elite corps of more than 2,140 worksites nationwide that have earned VPP status. The star designation came after an OSHA onsite review of the facility's safety and health programs, interviews with employees and a complete tour of the worksite. OSHA has approved the facility's VPP star status for three years.
Employers that have been accepted into the VPP represent more than 270 industries. Requirements include a high degree of management commitment and employee involvement; a high-quality worksite analysis, hazard prevention and control program; and comprehensive safety and health training for all employees. Each of these elements must be effective, in place and in operation for at least one year before a company can apply to join the VPP. Companies in the VPP achieve average injury and illness rates 50 percent below the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) average for other companies in their respective industries.
OSHA has improved workplace safety and health over the past 38 years. This success is reflected in the latest data (2007) showing the lowest national injury and illness incidence rate that the Bureau of Labor Statistics has ever recorded. OSHA will continue to work diligently to focus its resources where they will have the most impact in assuring that every working man and woman returns home safely every day.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
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