Region 7 News Release: 13-133-KAN
Jan. 31, 2013
Contact: Scott Allen Rhonda Burke
Phone: 312-353-6976
Email: allen.scott@dol.gov burke.rhonda@dol.gov

U.S. Labor Department's OSHA certifies Monsanto Co.
Marshall Corn Research Station as 'star' site for workplace safety and health

MARSHALL, Mo. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has recognized the employees and management of Monsanto Co. Marshall Corn Research Station in Marshall, Mo., for excellence in the company's employee safety and health program. The Marshall Corn Research Station facility has been designated a "star," the highest honor in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs.

Monsanto Co.'s Marshall Corn Research Station earned VPP star recognition following a comprehensive on-site evaluation by a team of OSHA safety and health experts. This hybrid grain breeding company employs eight full-time and up to 35 seasonal workers at the facility.

"From the top down, Marshall Corn Research Station has displayed outstanding effort in implementing a comprehensive safety and health management system," said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo. "The company is an exemplar of workplace safety."

The VPP recognizes private and federal work sites with effective safety and health management systems that have maintained injury and illness rates below national Bureau of Labor Statistics averages. Management, labor and OSHA work cooperatively and proactively to prevent fatalities, injuries and illnesses through a system focused on hazard prevention and control, work site analysis and training. Union support is required for applicant work sites where employees are represented by a bargaining unit. Participating work sites are exempt from OSHA programmed inspections while they maintain their VPP status. For more information, contact OSHA's regional VPP manager in Kansas City, Mo., at 816-283-8745 or visit http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/vpp/index.html.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

###

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille or CD from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.