American Fork Post Office to Receive Highest U.S. Government Award for Excellence in Safety

First Postal Facility in Utah to be ‘VPP Star Certified’

AMERICAN FORK, UT – On Thursday, April 10, the American Fork Post Office will be recognized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as one of the safest places to work in Utah and the nation. Dean Lillquist, Director of the OSHA Technical Center in Salt Lake City, will present American Fork postal employees with the Voluntary Protection Program Star Award, the highest U.S. Government Award for excellence in safety.

The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the American Fork Post Office at 55 Merchant St. Scheduled to join Lillquist at the event are: Dale Gunther, Mayor, Pro Tempore representing American Fork Mayor’s Office; USPS District Manager Ken McArthur, VPP Coordinator and American Postal Workers’ Union representative Paul Strong, VPP Vice-Coordinator and Supervisor Ric Wilcox, VPP Team member and National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association Representative Mindy Goodman, VPP Team Member and Maintenance Clerk Frank Purvis, VPP Team Member and National Association of Letter Carriers’ Representative Daniel Strong, Postmaster Brent Littlewood and 58 American Fork postal employees.

The American Fork Post Office is the first postal facility in Utah to be VPP Star Certified. Only one in 5,000 work sites nationwide achieve such recognition. The accident rate for Star sites is 52 percent below the national average; the American Fork Post Office is currently 83 percent below the national average.

“Our employees worked together to create and maintain a safer work environment in our Post Office,” said American Fork Postmaster Brent Littlewood. “This recognition is the result of their combined efforts.”

The VPP was created by OSHA in 1982 to recognize and partner with worksites that implement systems to manage worker safety and health. To obtain VPP Star status, management, union officials and employees voluntarily embrace a comprehensive safety and health process that exceeds OSHA’s tough safety standards. The worksite must pass a rigorous onsite evaluation, demonstrate facility-wide safety awareness and reduce job related illnesses and injuries. Since becoming an OSHA VPP Star site there have been no OSHA recordable accidents.

“The safety of our employees is a top priority,” said Littlewood. “Not only does it help us to provide great service to our customers, it enhances the quality of life for our employees.”