When it comes to worker health and safety, the Lake Orion Post Office is among the best, according to a program offered by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).
The post office has spent the past year in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program, which recognizes worksites that implement exemplary systems to manage worker safety and health.
Last week, OSHA honored the post office, located at 611 N. Axford, with VPP Star status during a special ceremony.
‘It’s the highest safety award you can receive from OSHA,? Postmaster Ted Banks noted.
The entire staff was on hand to receive the award, including the post office’s VPP Coordinator, Nickolena Topping, and Sue Lanctot, a mentor to the Lake Orion Post Office from a VPP post office in Flint.
That duo noted only 2,000 different organizations, mostly coming from the private sector, have achieved ‘Star? status in the United States.
The Lake Orion Post Office is just the 150th postal site in the country and the third in the Great Lakes Region, to earn the honor.
‘We’re also the first post office in southeast Michigan,? Topping added.
They also bypassed the VPP’s merit level and had no 90-day improvement items (a contingency often given to near-passing organizations) in their review, a fact that both Lanctot and Topping said was ‘very rare.?
‘It was a group effort,? Banks said. ‘It’s all about the employees providing a safe working environment.?
Banks said the voluntary program includes numerous OSHA review procedures and inspections along the way.
‘The VPP is an ongoing process,? Lanctot noted. ‘We have to send in an annual letter and every three years they recertify. It really is a tough process to get through.?
‘Safety is something that unions and management can always agree to,? she added. ‘It’s for the betterment of everybody.?
The Lake Orion Post Office is currently hosting a worker from Illinois, who is learning more about implementing the OSHA program.
More information is available online at www.osha.gov.