Evonik Cyro Arkansas Plant Receives OSHA Region VI’s Top Safety Award

Evonik Cyro’s Osceola, Arkansas, plant has received the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Region VI’s prestigious “Star of Excellence” award for going above and beyond the world-class safety standards set by the agency with injury/illness rates at least 90% below industry counterparts.

“This is an extremely impressive achievement for our employees at Osceola,” said John Rolando, president of Evonik Cyro. “It shows the continuous dedication our employees at Osceola and elsewhere have to safety. To be recognized as a ‘Star of Excellence’ is an extraordinary achievement. I applaud their efforts.”

The Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) is a cooperative effort between OSHA, industry and labor to recognize and promote effective safety and health practices in the workplace that exceed the basic OSHA safety and health requirements. VPP’s program recognizes participants with total case incidence rates significantly below the Bureau of Labor’s national average.

"We have a very strong safety culture," said Jim Bunn, manager of Evonik Cyro’s Osceola plant, which produces acrylic sheet and molding compounds. "Throughout our company, safety is a core business value. It is a continuous, ongoing concern.”

Bunn added that taking a proactive approach to addressing what could potentially become safety and health issues is a key driver. “We are committed to provide an injury-free workplace for our employees and our contractors,” said Bunn. “Evonik Cyro employees daily demonstrate their commitment to maintaining the highest safety standards. We will continue to exhibit the dedication and vigilance.”

Only about a quarter of the qualified plants in OSHA’s Region VI, which includes Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma received The Star of Excellence award. Of the nearly 8 million worksites in the United States, only about 2,000 are considered VPP sites.

Last year, Quality Systems Registrars, Inc. of Sterling, Virginia – a leading independent global auditing firm - commended Evonik Cyro’s Osceola plant for its continuous improvement efforts in environmental, health, safety and security performance and certified the Osceola facility for the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC)’s RC 14001 program.