The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recognized the Rocky Mountain Metal Container plant in Golden, Colo., for an excellent employee safety and health program. The facility is part of the Coors corporate family and manufactures ends for aluminum cans.
OSHA designated the plant a Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) “Star” site, the highest level of recognition that the agency’s VPP offers. The programs recognize worksites committed to effective employee protection beyond the requirements of OSHA standards and encourage cooperative relationships among labor, management, unions and government.
“Coors has long been recognized as a business leader in our region, but this award illustrates the company’s commitment to world-class leadership in employee safety and health,” said John Hermanson, OSHA deputy regional administrator in
Among the most noteworthy aspects of the site’s program is a cultural change process undertaken to maximize active, meaningful employee involvement in daily safety activities.
“The plant has an exceptional system in place to gather information from employees, address any safety concerns and use grass-roots safety committees to drive workplace improvement projects,” Baptiste said.
Requirements for application to the VPP, which has more than 1,600 member worksites in 270 industries nationwide, include a high degree of management support and employee involvement, high-quality worksite hazard analysis, hazard prevention and control programs, and comprehensive safety and health training for all employees. Each of these elements must be effective and in operation for at least one year before a worksite may apply to join the program.