Utility Vault Auburn achieves top recognition for occupational safety & health as Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) STAR.

The Utility Vault (UV) Auburn site manufactures concrete utility vaults and median barriers. On June 25, 2004, the Auburn site celebrated achieving the prestige’s VPP STAR status with an award ceremony for guests and employees.

The plant is located on forty-three acres south of Auburn and includes a 100,000 square foot precast facility, a 20,000 and 7,000 square foot metal fabrication facility and a main office. The facility produces approximately 100 to 160 yards daily of concrete products. The celebration ceremony was conducted at the worksite. Mark Schack, President Oldcastle Precast West Group made opening remarks, performed the MC duties for the ceremony and introduced; Michael Wood, Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA) Senior Program Manager who presented Gary Venn, Utility Vault General Manager and Rob Buck, Safety Coordinator a certificate of their VPP STAR status.

Pictured in Photo: Utility Vault employees with VPP STAR flag

Jim Schack, President Oldcastle Precast presented the site a plaque commemorating UV Auburns site accomplishment as the first STAR site of the UV family and the first precast facility in the VPP. Michael Wood, Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA) Senior Program Manager, addressed the audience on the leadership commitment, employee involvement and cooperation of working together in partnership resulted in the quality of the site’s safety and health programs.

Numerous speakers commented that our work on improving safety and health at the plant requires 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 1100 sites nationally have achieved this elite VPP status. The Utility Vault Auburn site was approved as a VPP STAR site on May 10, 2004 and is WISHA’s ninth STAR site.

Michael Wood, WISHA Services, Senior Program Manager along with representatives from WISHA, presented the prestigious VPP status flag and plague for continued recognition as a VPP STAR site.

The Utility Vault Auburn site, which employs 115 workers, earned its VPP STAR through 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 six 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.

Pictured in Photo (from left to right: Rob Buck and Gary Venn with VPP Plaque)

The worksite’s potential hazards associated with concrete product manufacturing processes, including machinery with moving parts, electrical, thermal, energy, material handling, ergonomics, walking/working surfaces, confined spaces, high noise levels falls and chemicals. Despite these hazards, the site’s three-year average injury/illness recordable rate and days away/restricted/transferred work incident rate for 2001-2003 is 54% below and 44% 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. Picture: (from left to right: Jim Schack, President Oldcastle Precast presented the site a plaque commemorating UV Auburns site accomplishment as the first STAR site of the UV family and the first precast facility in the VPP to employee representative Scott Longnecker).

For more information, contact Rob Buck, Safety Coordinator for the Utility Vault Auburn site at 253-839-3500. 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.