DTE Energy’s Kalkaska Station received the Michigan Voluntary Protection Program(MVPP) Rising Star Award for workplace safety and health excellence today from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA). The MIOSHA program is part of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).
“We’re pleased to welcome the DTE Kalkaska Station into this elite group of companies who provide outstanding safety and health protection for their workers,” said LARA Deputy Director Steve Arwood. “Your dedication sends the message to Michigan employers that focusing on safety up front is a sound business decision.”
MIOSHA Consultation Education and Training (CET) Division Director Nella Davis-Ray presented the MVPP Rising Star Award to Kalkaska Station Safety Captain Scott Stringer, who received it on behalf of all employees. Hourly employees are represented by Local 799C, International Chemical Workers. State and local elected officials and MIOSHA representatives were on hand to recognize employees and management on their outstanding achievement.
“We’re proud of our team at the Kalkaska Station and the outstanding work they are doing to show leadership in the area of health and safety,” said Bob Richard, senior vice president – Gas Operations at DTE Energy. “Receiving the Michigan Voluntary Protection Program award is a testament to the dedication that the men and women who work at the Kalkaska Station have shown in making workplace safety a priority over the years.”
The Michigan Voluntary Protection Program (MVPP) Rising Star Award is given to companies that have an outstanding safety and health management system in place and have the desire and commitment to achieve the highest level, the Michigan Star Award. Only employers with the best safety and health programs are eligible for the MVPP Program.
“National VPP sites experience 60 to 80 percent less lost work day injuries than would be expected of an average site in their industry,” said Davis-Ray. “Not only does the MVPP program significantly reduce injuries and illnesses – it also has a tremendous impact on the bottom line.”
MVPP Rising Star sites must have incidence rates below the Michigan average for three years. The incidence rates at the Kalkaska Station are below the industry average for two of the past three years for their NAICS code 486210 −Pipeline Transmission of Natural Gas. Their total recordable case rate (TRC) was 0.0 in 2008 and 2009, and 5.4 in 2010 − compared to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Michigan industry average of 2.3 for all three years. The total day’s away/restricted cases (DART) rate was 0.0 in 2008 and 2009, and 5.4 in 2010− compared to the BLS industry average of 1.2 in 2008, and 0.9 in 2009 and 2010.
The Kalkaska Station is a facility where natural gas transportation, compression, processing and storage operations are performed and managed. The MIOSHA review team − Doug Kimmel, Team Leader and CET MVPP Specialist;Dave Humenick, CET Industrial Hygienist; Brian Kellogg, CET Safety Consultant; and Anthony Neroni, CET Safety Consultant − conducted five formal and six informal interviews during the site visit.
The review team examined each of the required elements of their safety and health management system and found the majority to be consistent with MVPP standards. The review team recommended improvements in the areas of: training, employee involvement, worksite analysis, and hazard prevention/control for the site to reach Star status.
Some of the Kalkaska Station’s areas of excellence include: Sound absorbing materials installed in the compressor building to reduce employee exposure to high noise levels; winter boots with retracting cleats provided to employees to reduce the likelihood of slip and fall incidents.
DTE Energy has key corporate goals to make sure that employees at all their facilities have a safe and healthy work environment. Their workplace safety goals include:
- To focus on increasing hazard recognition and on the proactive behaviors that help prevent injuries;
- To strive to improve learning from one another;
- To continue to reduce incident rates; and
- To increase their potential for sustaining long-term improvement.
DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include Detroit Edison, an electric utility serving 2.1 million customers in Southeastern Michigan; MichCon, a natural gas utility serving 1.2 million customers in Michigan; and other non-utility energy businesses focused on gas storage and pipelines, unconventional gas production, power and industrial projects, and energy trading. Information about DTE Energy is available at www.dteenergy.com and at www.twitter.com/dte_energy
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Source: LARA
