H-E-B Print/Mail Plant in San Antonio, Texas, has earned membership in the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) at the Star, or highest, level for achieving three years of excellence in employee health and safety.
"H-E-B Print/Mail, the nation's ninth printing plant to achieve VPP Star status, has demonstrated excellence in effective safety and health management," said OSHA Regional Administrator Dean W. McDaniel in Dallas. "The company's outstanding efforts include maintaining an injury and illness rate below the national average for its industry."
Rupert Chavez, OSHA's assistant area director in San Antonio, and Lyndol Miller, OSHA's VPP coordinator in Austin, attended today's recognition ceremony at the company's facility on Rittiman Road in San Antonio.
H-E-B Print/Mail, which employs more than 60 people, prints materials such as coupons, labels and advertising information, and distributes mail for nearly 300 H-E-B grocery stores in Texas and Mexico. The company has implemented a comprehensive employee safety and health management system in accordance with VPP standards.
More than 2,160 worksites representing about 270 industries nationwide have earned entry into OSHA's VPP. 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 average for other companies in their respective industries.