Orangeburg Post Office to receive top OSHA safety award

37th Postal worksite in the nation to earn the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) “Star” Award

ORANGEBURG, SC — Beginning Friday, in addition to Old Glory, the Orangeburg Post Office will be flying a new flag, the one that identifies it as an OSHA Voluntary Protection Program “Star” site. They will be the first Post Office in the Greater South Carolina Postal District, ZIPs 290-6 to do so. To commemorate the accomplishment, a VPP flag ceremony is being held at 8:30 a.m. Friday, September 5 at the Post Office, 1550 Middleton St.

VPP promotes effective worksite-based safety and health by enlisting the help of every employee — management and labor — under the guidance of OSHA.

To become a VPP site, an application is submitted and reviewed by OSHA followed by a rigorous on-site evaluation by a team of OSHA safety and health experts. More information on the award is available online at the U. S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration website: http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/vpp/all_about_vpp.html.

“We’re celebrating the honor of being designated a VPP site and we’re celebrating the fact we all worked together to make it happen,” said Postmaster Ronnie Whitehead. “I’m proud of every employee.” OSHA approved the first site in 1982. Since then, only 1,400 workplaces across the nation have been accepted into the program. Federal worksites became eligible for the program in 1998. The Orangeburg Post Office is the only the 37th Postal facility to win the award, nationwide.

Greater South Carolina District Manager, Nicholas L. Rinaldi is scheduled as the keynote speaker. OSHA representative, William (Bill) Grimes, Assistant Regional Administrator for Cooperative and State Programs will make the VPP flag and trophy presentation. Following the ceremony, breakfast will be served and invited guests will have the opportunity to meet with Orangeburg Post Office employees.

# # #

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.