VPP: Georgia-Pacific Bellingham Tissue Operation Receives STAR

Georgia-Pacific Bellingham Tissue Operation achieves top recognition for occupational safety & health as Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) STAR.

The Georgia-Pacific Bellingham Tissue Operation produces and converts bath and towel paper into finished consumer products such as Sparkle Towels, QNBT, Angel Soft and MD bath tissue. On September 24, 2003, the Bellingham Operation celebrated achieving the prestige’s VPP STAR status with an award ceremony followed by a catered luncheon for guests and employees. More than 300 employees, state and local dignitaries and guest participated in the celebration.

Tissue Operation, Bellingham, WA

Pictured in Photo (from left to right): Ted Sapoznik, Glenn Taylor, Marv Benson , Michael Silverstein M.D., Ray Wilson , and June Brothers.

The tissue operation located on eighty acres of the Bellingham, WA waterfront, was the site for the ceremony. Craig Marroy, Bellingham Central Safety Committee Co-Chair Member of the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers (AWPPW), Local 309 acted as the MC for the ceremony. Ray Wilson and Marv Benson, Presidents AWPPW Locals 194 and 309; Glenn Taylor, VP and General Manager; June Brothers, VP Corporate Safety Georgia-Pacific and Chairperson for the National Voluntary Protection Program Participants Association (VPPPA); Ted Sapoznik, Senior VP Manufacturing Western Region and Michael Silverstein M.D., Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA) Assistant Director, addressed the audience on the commitment, leadership, employee involvement and cooperation of working together in partnership resulted in the quality of the site’s safety and health programs.

At the ceremony, Dr. Michael Silverstein, M.D. – director, WISHA Services, presented Georgia-Pacific team representatives with a certificate of recognition. They also received a WISHA Star flag to fly at the mill. “We are very pleased with Georgia-Pacific’s Bellingham operations and welcome them into the WISHA VPP program,” said Silverstein. “They join an exclusive group of companies who have made an extraordinary commitment to the advancement of occupational safety and health for the protection of their workers.

Numerous speakers commented that our work on improving safety and health at the Georgia-Pacific Bellingham Tissue Operation is not done until we achieve “Zero Injuries” through our diligent commitment to continuous improvement.

VPP status is approved by WISHA Services for worksite applicants who have achieved outstanding safety and health programs. Only 1005 sites nationally have achieved this elite VPP status. The Georgia-Pacific Bellingham Tissue Operation was approved as a VPP STAR site since September 2, 2003 and is WISHA’s sixth STAR site.

Pictured in Photo (from left to right): Ray Wilson, Michael Silverstein M.D., Glenn Taylor, and Marv Benson.	The Georgia-Pacific Bellingham Tissue Operation, which employs 348 workers, earned its VPP STAR through cooperative commitment, leadership and extensive employee participation in developing a continuously improving safety and health program and safety record. The site applied for the VPP and received an on-site review by a team of seven WISHA safety and health professionals to achieve VPP STAR status. The site maintains their status by continuous improvement of their safety and health programs, conducting comprehensive annual self-evaluations on their safety and health programs and receives a comprehensive onsite review every three years by WISHA staff. The worksite’s potential hazards associated with tissue production processes, including machinery with moving parts, electrical, thermal, energy, material handling, ergonomics, walking/working surfaces, confined spaces, high noise levels falls and hazardous chemicals. Despite these hazards, the site’s three-year average injury/illness recordable rate and days away/restricted/transferred work incident rate for 2000-2002 is 41% below and 54% below, respectively, the national average for similar industries. WISHA’s review team observed that management and employees are committed to continuous improvements of the site’s safety and health program. The safety and health program provides excellent protection from the potential hazards at this worksite.
Flag Raising
Luncheon Celebration
For more information, contact Don Cook or Mike (MR) Smith, VPP Coordinators for the Georgia-Pacific Bellingham Tissue Operation at (360) 676-7216/7231. For more information about WISHA’s Voluntary Protection Program, in which WISHA and Washington companies work together to improve safety and health programs, call WISHA, Kenneth Werenko, Safety and Health VPP Specialist, (360) 902-5515.