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RELEASE NO. 99-033
NOTE TO EDITORS: JUNE 28 EVENT
Langley admitted to OSHA's most prestigious safety
program
 NASA's
Langley Research Center will become the first federal worksite
accepted to the highest tier of the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) foremost safety
and health program on Monday, June 28.
The induction ceremony will take place in Langley's H.J.E. Reid
Conference Center at 9:30 a.m. It will last about 30 minutes.
 Assistant
Secretary of Labor for OSHA Charles N. Jeffress will join NASA
Administrator Daniel S. Goldin and Langley Center Director Jeremiah
F. Creedon to celebrate Langley's admission to OSHA's
Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).
Members of the news media are invited to attend the induction
ceremony. Please contact Bob Allen at (757) 864-6176 to reserve a
place in the audience.
In October 1998, Langley became the first federal government
worksite to be awarded Star certification, the highest level,
within the VPP. The VPP is OSHA's most prestigious safety and
health program.
The award recognizes the excellence of Langley's safety and
health programs. As a result, Langley will assume responsibility
for its annual safety and health inspections. OSHA will continue to
evaluate the Center on-site every three years.
 "Employee and contractor safety and health is NASA's
top priority," said Creedon. "I am very pleased that Langley is
leading the way into the Voluntary Protection Program; not only for
NASA, but for the entire Federal Government."
Jeffress first announced the award at the 53rd Annual
Federal Safety and Health Conference in Los Angeles, Calif., in
late October 1998.
"The Federal Government should lead the way when it comes to
occupational safety and health in America," said Jeffress. "We are
proud that the Langley Research Center, with its first-class safety
and health program, is helping to do that."
There are three programs within the VPP -- Star (highest), Merit
and Demonstration.
Langley is the first federal facility in the nation to achieve
VPP Star certification.
Star-certified sites have comprehensive, successful safety and
health programs, injury and illness rates below the national
average for their industry and a history of having demonstrated
good faith in dealings with OSHA.
The OSHA team evaluating Langley in Oct. 1998 found excellence
in safety and health management, employee training and involvement
and appropriate resources. They noted that Langley's injury and
lost workday injury and illness rates are about 70 percent below
that of similar private-sector laboratories.
The VPP was established to encourage employers to improve their
occupational safety and health programs. It recognizes and promotes
effect safety and health management. VPP sites demonstrate improved
productivity, employee morale and community recognition.
There are currently 468 VPP worksites nationally. Several
additional federal facilities are now in the process of following
Langley into the VPP, including NASA's Johnson Space Center in
Houston, Texas.
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