US Department of Labors OSHA recognizes Basic Industries in Ingleside, Texas, for excellence in safety and health

INGLESIDE, Texas The U.S. Department of Labor s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has recognized the employees and management of Basic Industries Ltd. at Kiewit Offshore Services in Ingleside for achieving three years of excellence in the company s employee safety and health program. The Basic Industries facility has been designated as a star site in OSHA s Voluntary Protection Programs. Basic Industries is to be commended for demonstrating excellence in effective safety and health management, said William A. Burke, OSHA s acting regional administrator in Dallas. The company s outstanding efforts led to zero injuries and illnesses over the last three years. Basic Industries, a resident contractor at Kiewit Offshore Services in Ingleside, employs about 25 workers who perform scaffold building, abrasive blasting, painting and insulation jobs.

Michael Rivera, OSHA s Corpus Christi Area Office director, and Rick Martinez, OSHA s Corpus Christi VPP coordinator, presented a plaque and flag at a ceremony today. The Voluntary Protection Programs recognize private and federal work sites with effective safety and health management systems that have maintained injury and illness rates below national Bureau of Labor Statistics averages. Management, labor and OSHA work cooperatively and proactively to prevent fatalities, injuries and illnesses through a system focused on hazard prevention and control, work site analysis and training. Union support is required for applicant work sites where employees are represented by a bargaining unit. Participating work sites are exempt from OSHA programmed inspections while they maintain their VPP status. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/vpp/ or contact William Klingbeil, the VPP manager for OSHA s Region VI in Dallas, at 971-850-4159.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA s role is to ensure these conditions for America s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.