OSHA News Brief
April 5, 2023
US Department of Labor renews Wheelabrator's 'Star Level' designation for workplace safety, health achievements
Bridgeport, Connecticut facility maintains safety distinction since 2005
Participant: Wheelabrator Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Description: Wheelabrator employs about 70 workers at the Bridgeport site. The site is a waste-to-energy facility generating electricity for the New England power grid.
Duration: OSHA first recognized the Wheelabrator Bridgeport, Connecticut, facility in 2005 as a "Star" site – the highest level of recognition that the agency's Voluntary Protection Programs offers. The facility earned its latest VPP star renewal following an onsite evaluation in August 2022 by a team of OSHA safety and health experts.
Background: OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs recognize and promote effective worksite-based safety and health management systems. In the VPP, management, labor and OSHA establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented comprehensive safety and health management systems. Approval into VPP is OSHA's official recognition of the outstanding efforts of employers and employees who have created exemplary worksite safety and health management systems.
Quote: "The Wheelabrator Bridgeport facility continues to retain a high level of employee involvement in support of workplace safety and health," said OSHA Regional Administrator Galen Blanton in Boston. "The site focuses upon preventing recognized hazards in the waste-to-energy industry, including falls, electrical, and struck-by injuries."
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Media Contacts:
Ted Fitzgerald, 617-565-2075, fitzgerald.edmund@dol.gov
James C. Lally, 617-565-2074, lally.james.c@dol.gov
Release Number: 23-637-BOS