CARLSBAD, Calif., Sept. 11, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Waste Management Carlsbad (NYSE:WMI) received notification from the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) that it has achieved Star Certification as part of the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), the highest safety achievement offered by Cal/OSHA.
Waste Management Carlsbad is the first hauling company in the municipal solid waste industry in California to be recognized as a Cal/VPP Star site, and only the second facility in San Diego County in any industry to achieve this certification. It is also the first Waste Management hauling district in North America to achieve VPP Star Certification.
Cal/OSHA estimates that there are approximately 45 Star Certified sites in California, and approximately 2,000 Star sites (as designated by Federal/OSHA) in the United States.
"The fact that Waste Management of Carlsbad is the first waste and recycling services hauling company in the U.S. to achieve VPP certification speaks volumes about their desire to keep their drivers and staff safe," said Iraj Pourmehraban, Cal/OSHA VPP Manager. "But not only are they keeping their employees safe, they're also keeping the communities they serve safe as well."
The Star Certification is the result of a voluntary invitation for site visits and consultation by the state's work safety division, culminating in a multi-day audit in March. Waste Management Carlsbad first applied for consideration for VPP in October of 2005 and spent the time between the application submission and Cal/OSHA official VPP review conducting site improvements, safety program reviews and employee trainings to meet the goals of the VPP program.
Cal/VPP is designed to recognize safety and health systems that effectively prevent and control occupational hazards. These systems go beyond ensuring that the minimal Cal/OSHA standards are met by providing the best feasible protection at that site. Cal/VPP emphasizes the importance of site-specific occupational safety and health programs and encourages their improvement. Cal/OSHA provides recognition to those sites whose programs have achieved occupational safety and health excellence.
"Working safely is a key component of Waste Management's culture," said Ken Ryan, district manager. "With safety as our priority, we invite agencies like Cal/OSHA in to evaluate our programs and practices, as well as the condition of our facility, to make sure we're providing a safe environment for our employees and the community. We're really proud of our employees for all the hard work they've done to maintain a safe workplace, and we're excited that Cal/OSHA has recognized us for these efforts."
"This has been a long journey in preparing to achieve VPP Star Certification, and our journey toward safety excellence will continue as we work to raise the bar even higher," said Market Area General Manager Jason Rose.
All Waste Management employees receive safety training appropriate for their positions within the company - whether serving as a driver of a collection vehicle, maintenance technician or within the office - and participate in regular safety refresher courses or additional trainings as needed. Waste Management Carlsbad also has an employee safety committee and "Top Gun Safety Squadron" made up of employees with the site's best safety records that provide recommendations for safety improvements, root cause analyses of incidents and share best practices.
"Our employees encounter a number of variables in their jobs, whether they are out on the road servicing customers or on site at our facility performing a number of different tasks," said Ryan. "Achieving VPP Star Certification is a testament to our employees' careful actions and commitment to safety in performing their jobs."
Waste Management Carlsbad has 103 employees who perform jobs including waste/recycling collector and driver, vehicle maintenance or container maintenance technician and buyback center administrator, in addition to jobs based at the office. The facility provides waste and recycling collection in the cities of Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach and portions of unincorporated San Diego County.
For more information about Waste Management, visit http://northcounty.wm.com.
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America.
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