GE is a safe bet

LYNN – GE Aviation in Lynn has been awarded the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) top workplace recognition for its commitment to employee safety and health.”We are always doing all we can to make operation safe and keep employees as safe as possible,” GE spokesman Rich Gorham said Sunday about the award, which was announced Friday.GE-Lynn has been recertified as a Star site under the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). This program is OSHA’s premier recognition program, where management, labor and OSHA officials work cooperatively to prevent fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. Employers must apply for the program, and there is a two-week audit to evaluate health and safety at the site location. This audit occurred in 2014 at the GE site. The Star status signifies that a business demonstrates injury/illness rates that are at or below the national averages for their industries.”Several programs have been enhanced, and a significant investment has been made to increase safety and health awareness at the site,” OSHA Acting Regional Administrator Greg Baxter wrote in a letter to GE. “The company has maintained injury rates substantially below the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates for their industry. The overall safety and health program management system at this site remains excellent.”This is the fourth time that GE-Lynn has received the recognition, according to the announcement. GE first earned VPP Star status in 2006, and was recertified in 2009 and again in 2014. The current recognition is for five years. Gorham said the certification examines everything “from safety guards on equipment and machinery, to making sure the aisles are swept clear and that people are wearing safety goggles.””We’ve been around for 100 years, and we’re always using new machinery and some of the facilities and equipment over time have been upgraded,” Gorham said. “Certain safety measures are continually being looked at and implemented.”GE Area Executive Mike Sims described the recognition as a “terrific accomplishment.””This is only possible due to the strong level of commitment and cooperation from our unions and salaried workforce,” Sims said in the announcement. “Nothing is more important than employee safety. We are committed to raising the bar even higher.”GE Aviation Lynn builds jet and turboprop engines, components, and integrated systems for aircraft and is the city’s largest employer. Worksites are exempt from OSHA programmed inspections while GE maintains its status in the voluntary protection program.