GE gains entry into OSHA VPP Corporate Pilot program

General Electric Company, headquartered in Fairfield, Conn., was recently admitted into the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) VPP Corporate Pilot. The VPP Corporate Pilot streamlines the application and on-site evaluation processes for organizations that have made a commitment to the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP).

"We congratulate General Electric on being accepted into the VPP Corporate Pilot," said Edwin G. Foulke Jr., assistant secretary of labor for Occupational Safety and Health. "They have demonstrated excellence in safety and health management consistent with the high quality expected of VPP participants. We are pleased to recognize this accomplishment, and we applaud their willingness to continue working with us on promoting safer and healthier workplaces."

"GE is honored to be accepted into the OSHA VPP Corporate Pilot and look forward to continuing our cooperative and productive relationship with OSHA," added Stephen D. Ramsey, GE's vice president of corporate environmental programs. "GE's commitment to VPP reflects the determination of all GE employees - up to and including the CEO - to ensure a safe and healthy work environment for all GE employees. This commitment is reflected in the more than 100 GE sites in the U.S. that have attained VPP Star status. At GE, we view safety on the job to be a core value and the right of every employee."

General Electric was accepted after a complete review of its safety and health management system by a VPP Corporate On-site Team. OSHA's program evaluation recognized the company's PowerSuite business system as a particular area of excellence. PowerSuite features modules on tracking hazards and employee training, and viewing thousands of material safety data sheets online. GE becomes the sixth organization to be inducted into the VPP Corporate Pilot, joining Georgia-Pacific, International Paper, U.S. Postal Service, Dow Chemical Company and the Washington Group International. With more than 100 active sites, GE is also the most prolific VPP participant.

General Electric employs more than 300,000 people worldwide.