WOODSTOCK, IL — Tomorrow the Woodstock Post Office will be recognized for two years of painstaking work when it receives the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star Award. The award is sponsored by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and is presented to businesses that show excellence in occupational safety and health. The Woodstock Post Office is the first postal facility to receive this award in the Northern Illinois District.
“Keeping a safe and healthy work environment is a daily commitment,” said Postal Service Safety Specialist Michele Rockwood, who helped start the process over two years ago. “We feel honored to receive this award.”
On Thursday, October 7 at 9:00 a.m. across from the Woodstock Post Office at the McHenry County Fair Grounds on Country Club Road in Building D, OSHA representatives Nancy Quick and Sharon Hillhouse will present the Star Award to employees. Also in attendance will be Great Lakes Area Safety Manager Bob Creadeur, Northern Illinois District Manager Bob Hart and Woodstock Postmaster Beverly Dye.
The Voluntary Protection Program promotes effective worksite-based safety and health. Through the program, members of management, labor and OSHA establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented a comprehensive safety and health management system.
The program sets performance-based criteria, invites sites to apply, and then assesses applicants against the established criteria. OSHA’s verification includes an application review and a rigorous onsite evaluation by a team of OSHA safety and health experts. The program officially began in 1979.
Companies in the Star Program have achieved injury and illness rates at or below the national average of their respective industries. These sites are self-sufficient in their ability to control workplace hazards.
Additional contact: Woodstock Postmaster Beverly Dye – (815) 338-1094
# # #
Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.
