OSHA News

USG Stockton Ceiling Grid Plant Wins California OSHA STAR Award for Safety

(June 12, 2008)-- USG Corporation announced that its Stockton Ceiling Grid Plant, which employs 50 employees, has been certified with STAR STATUS in the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).

“The OSHA STAR is the highest U.S. government award for excellence in safety and we want to thank all of our employees for making this award possible,” said John Wesley, Stockton Plant Manager. “Safety is our most cherished goal and the Stockton plant now marks the fifth USG facility to be so honored. In addition, eleven USG plants are striving to earn the OSHA STAR award.” Wesley went on to say that nationwide, less than one-hundredth of one percent of approximately seven million work sites have been awarded the OSHA STAR, which often takes years to accomplish.

“We appreciate the time and effort that companies like USG make to achieve VPP certification, which is the gold standard to measure success,” said John Duncan, Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations. “Research shows that companies like USG that operate under a comprehensive safety and health management system have average illness and injury case rates between 40-to-90 percent below the average for their industries which decreases workers’ compensation and improves morale.”

“We want the Stockton community to know that safety is a priority for our company,” Wesley said. “We work hard at it every day.” Injuries occurring within manufacturing facilities are down 31 percent from last year.

Aside from the important goal of keeping employees safe, there are other benefits to putting safety first, said Wesley. Employee morale, productivity and competitiveness all increase, while injury and illness, insurance costs and workers’ compensation payments decrease. “Putting safety first is not only good for our people, it’s good for USG,” said Wesley.

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