Unisea, Inc. Receives VPP STAR Award

Nov. 05, 2002
No. 02-63

UniSea, Inc. of Dutch Harbor, has received the highest award under the Alaska Occupational Safety and Health (AK OSH) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). Rich Mastriano, Director of the Labor Standards and Safety Division in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development presented the VPP STAR award to UniSea October 29, 2002. It is UniSea's second award under VPP, and was approved August 16, 2002 by Commissioner of Labor Ed Flanagan.

Voluntary Protection Programs are designed to recognize and promote effective safety and health management. In the VPP, management, labor, and Alaska OSH establish a cooperative relationship at a workplace that has implemented a strong safety and health program. Participation in the program is voluntary, and does not exempt the work site from OSH enforcement activities in event of employee complaints and accident investigations. The work site is removed from general scheduled inspections for an approved period of time, which ranges from 18 months to five years.

UniSea, Inc. is a seafood processing plant with from 200 to 1,300 non-union employees, depending on the fishing season. Among about 850 recognized VPP sites nationwide, UniSea is at present the only seafood processing company.

Federal OSHA first established the VPP in 1982. Alaska OSH has offered the program to Alaska employers since December 1997. There are now five recognized sites in Alaska: BP Central Power Station in Prudhoe Bay, AirLogistics of Alaska in Fairbanks, and TelAlaska in Unalaska.

Krystyna Markiewicz, Health Consultant and VPP/SHARP Coordinator for AK OSH can be contacted at (907) 269-4958 or krystyna_markiewicz@labor.state.ak.us for more information about the Voluntary Protection Program.

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