In earning VPP Star status at the Florence, Ky., facility, Paris-based L’Oréal fulfills a 2003 promise to obtain VPP status for all six of its U.S. manufacturing plants within 5 years.
“L’Oréal is clearly committed to protecting the safety and health of its employees and, with recognition of [this] achievement, the company has set an extraordinary example for other U.S. manufacturers,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin Foulke Jr. “L’Oréal’s investment in employee safety and health was the right thing to do, and I am certain it will provide great benefits in morale, productivity and competitiveness.”
Dramatic Reductions in Accident Rates
In November 2003, according to OSHA, L’Oréal was one of the first foreign-based international companies to commit to pursuing VPP status for all of its U.S.-based factories. At the time, only four of its plants had earned acceptance into VPP.
Over the past 6 years, according to OSHA, participation in VPP has helped L’Oréal USA reduce its rates of lost-time and restricted-duty accidents by more than 70 percent.
The company’s Florence facility joins an elite group of more than 1,700 worksites in more than 270 industries nationwide that have earned entry into OSHA’s VPPs. The Star designation came after a thorough Kentucky OSHA on-site review of the plant’s safety and health programs, interviews with employees and a complete review of the worksite.
“We put the health and safety of our employees first and have achieved VPP compliance in all of our manufacturing facilities with their active collaboration,” says Vince Serpico, senior vice president, corporate manufacturing, L’Oréal USA. “The certification of our Florence, Ky., facility is a further demonstration of our rigorous commitment to maintaining safe and productive work environments for our employees, our plants and the communities in which we have facilities.”
In 2004, OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS named L’Oréal USA one of America's Safest Companies. For more about America's Safest Companies, click here.