WSI -Nevada Test Site Earns DOE "Star" Award
Congratulations to the WSI - Nevada Test Site team on recently once again earning "Star" status in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).
The DOE VPP, similar to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration program, is a cooperative effort among labor, management, and government at DOE contractor sites designed to help promote improved health and safety performance.
For their efforts, participating organizations are publicly recognized by the program's three levels of achievement - Star, Merit and Demonstration. Contractors with programs that meet the requirements for outstanding health and safety programs receive Star recognition - the top honor.
The continued success of WSI Nevada Test Site team began in 1994 when it conducted a thorough self-assessment of its existing health and safety programs against the stringent DOE VPP certification requirements. The self-assessment results began a collaborative effort by labor, management, and employee representatives to implement the improvements necessary to attain DOE VPP success.
In November 2000, a DOE VPP On-Site Review Team conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the WSI Nevada Test Site health and safety program. The team attained Star status and has retained that rating through subsequent recertification reviews in 2004, 2007, and now in 2008.
For their efforts in guiding WSI Nevada's success, Environment and Health Safety Section Manager Richard Shook, Security Police Officer Darlene Smith - the chair of the employee safety committee - and Senior Security Police Officer Jody Coles were recently recognized by the site's General Manager, Dave Bradley, with a Superior DOE Achievement Star Status Certificate and the WSI President's Coin of Excellence.