By Erin Harmeyer

Rockwell Collins facilities in Coralville and Decorah, Iowa, were honored recently at the 15th Annual Region VII Voluntary Protection Program Participants' Association (VPPPA) Conference in Des Moines.

Both locations received Star Among Stars awards for going above and beyond the "world-class" safety standards set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

According to John Izzolena, senior manager of Enterprise Environment, Safety & Health Systems & Program Development at Rockwell Collins, the award program has three categories: Star, Super Star, and Star of Excellence.

Coralville received the Star award, which requires injury rates for total cases (TCIR) and lost workday cases (DART) to be at least 50 percent less than national industry averages.
 
"We have a very strong safety culture in Coralville," said Katie Cargin, manager of Environment, Safety and Heath (ES&H) in Coralville. "We promote safety in everything we do. It's a core business value - along with quality, production, and meeting Lean objectives."

Our facility in Decorah earned the Star of Excellence award, which was given to only six plants in Region VII. To reach this standard, Decorah had TCIR and DART rates at least 90 percent below the national average.

"Taking a proactive approach addressing what could potentially become safety and health issues is a key driver at controlling our recordable case rates," said Tom Hauber, safety coordinator in Decorah.

According to information compiled by OSHA, only 1,970 of the nearly eight million worksites in the United States are considered VPP sites.

To qualify for VPP status, sites must have an effective and comprehensive safety and health management system in place that meets performance-based criteria, as well as occupational injury and illness rates that fall below industry averages. The approval process emphasizes management commitment for worker safety, continually identifying and eliminating workplace hazards, and active employee involvement in safety measures.