STAR SITE RATING IS IN TOP ONE-HALF PERCENT OF OSHA RATED SITES
27 September 2005 - Emerson Process Management

Emerson Process Management announced that the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration recertified its Instrument and Valve Services facility in Gonzales, La., to continue as a Star Site in its Voluntary Protection Program. Located between Baton Rouge and the Katrina-battered parishes of New Orleans, the Gonzales facility provides expert services for industrial firms along the Mississippi river and near the Gulf of Mexico.

Approval into the Voluntary Protection Program is OSHA's official recognition of the outstanding efforts of employers and employees who have achieved exemplary occupational safety and health. OSHA approves qualified sites to one of three programs; the Star Program is the highest level, followed by the Merit Program and the Star Demonstration Program, respectively. Out of more than 6 million work sites nationwide, Emerson's Gonzales facility is among a select group of 890 work sites (within the top one-half percent) that federal OSHA offices have deemed models of safety success. Becoming a VPP site offers demonstrated benefits. According to OSHA, the average VPP worksite has a Days Away Restricted or Transferred case rate of 52 percent below the average for its industry.

The Voluntary Protection Program promotes effective worksite-based safety and health. In the VPP, management, labor and OSHA establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented a comprehensive safety and health management system.

In August 2005, OSHA completed a four-day audit to evaluate the safety and health programs at Instrument & Valve Services, a business unit of Emerson Progress Management in Gonzales, La. The audit included conducting one-on-one interviews with employees to review documentation and complete field inspections.

OSHA first approved the Emerson facility in Gonzales into the VPP program at the Merit level in 1994. Three years later, OSHA approved the entry of Instrument & Valve Services into the VPP program at the Star level. This Emerson facility has retained its Star Program status with every subsequent reevaluation.

Companies that gain VPP status benefit customers as well as employees. "When OSHA certifies you as a VPP program, especially at the Star Level, the customer knows that you have an excellent safety program," said Edgar Rivera, Safety Manager for Emerson's Instrument & Valve Services.

According to Denny Cahill, vice-president and general manager of Instrument & Valve Services, becoming a VPP site also increases employee pride. "It's like winning the Super Bowl in safety. As a company, you've achieved something that very few do," said Cahill.

http://www.emersonprocess.com

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