Following a recent audit, the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant received a recommendation for recertification of its Star status for systemization and operations in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Voluntary Protection Program.

“They’re impressed with how we do business and how we think,” said Walton Levi, site project manager, PCAPP.

Levi said VPP Star status represents the highest level of certification and recognition of employer and employee efforts to maintain high occupational safety and health standards. He said a common theme that emerged throughout the recertification process was the sharing of knowledge and best practices throughout the workforce. Levi also said OSHA encouraged PCAPP representatives to share their successes and specific tactics with others through attendance at national safety conventions.

“I am proud of our efforts over the life of this project to continually maintain high safety standards,” he said. “As a result, our workforce has been recognized for how well we solve problems when they arise.”

PCAPP also achieved Star status from OSHA for systemization and operations in 2015; recertified in December 2018; and for construction in 2009 and 2011.

The most recent report referenced areas of excellence at PCAPP: emergency preparedness, total workforce planning, industrial hygiene, leadership commitment, trigger training and hazard recognition and reporting.

The low incidence rates of occupational injuries at the Pueblo site are comparable to that of a library or a data processing operation in statistics kept by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Levi said the focus on safety will remain the top priority during the project’s closure phase.