Clean Harbors Is First Hazardous Waste TSDF VPP Star Recipient
Clean Harbors Is First Hazardous Waste TSDF VPP Star Recipient
Braintree, MA - June 23, 2005 - Clean Harbors, Inc., the leading provider of environmental and hazardous waste management services throughout North America, today announced that a Company subsidiary is the first hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facility (TSDF) company to receive a “Star” designation from the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). The Clean Harbors Lone Mountain Facility – located near Waynoka, Oklahoma – is a hazardous waste landfill, which has been operating since 1979, only three years after the congressional authorization of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The Lone Mountain Facility operates as a RCRA-authorized TSDF by a permit issued by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.
OSHA began the Voluntary Protection Program in 1982 to recognize employers that have exemplary safety and health management systems to protect their employees. The key elements of the VPP program are 1) Management Commitment and Employee Involvement, 2) Worksite Analysis, 3) Hazard Prevention and Control, and 4) Safety and Health Training. There are approximately 7 million employers in the United States. However, only approximately 1,275 employers in the United States have sought and been approved in the prestigious VPP program. Additionally, the VPP Star sites typically have injury and illness rates more than 50% below other companies within the same standard industry classification code.
Clean Harbors has a very strong culture of protecting its employees’ safety and health. In support of protecting its employees, Clean Harbors President and Chief Executive Officer Alan S. McKim issued a challenge in 2003 to seven of its fixed facilities to pursue approval into the VPP Star program. Alan J. Adair, the newly appointed General Manager of the Lone Mountain Facility, took up this challenge and wanted to be the first TSDF in the United States to receive this approval. He appointed a VPP Committee of five employees to lead the Lone Mountain Facility in its efforts. Led by Kenneth Sears, the VPP Committee Chair at the time of application, the Lone Mountain employees worked diligently, conducting an annual safety and health evaluation, implementing action plans and preparing the facility for the on-site OSHA VPP evaluation. Their VPP application was submitted in late July 2004, with OSHA conducting the on-site VPP evaluation in December 2004. Their efforts culminated in the signing of the VPP application on June 13, 2005.
The entire family of Clean Harbors congratulates the Lone Mountain Facility employees on their success on being recognized as an OSHA VPP Star!
About Clean Harbors, Inc.
Clean Harbors, Inc. is North America's leading provider of environmental and hazardous waste management services. With an unmatched infrastructure of 48 waste management facilities, including nine landfills, five incineration locations and seven wastewater treatment centers, the Company provides essential services to over 45,000 customers, including more than 175 Fortune 500 companies, thousands of smaller private entities and numerous federal, state and local governmental agencies. Headquartered in Braintree, Massachusetts, Clean Harbors has more than 100 locations strategically positioned throughout North America in 36 U.S. states, six Canadian provinces, Mexico and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit www.cleanharbors.com.
Contact:
Phil Retallick
Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs
Clean Harbors Environmental Services, Inc.
803.600.5305
retallick.phil@cleanharbors.com