US Department of Labor lauds two South Dakota employers for recording zero worker injuries, illnesses in 2022

DENVER ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health is recognizing the continued commitment to employees’ well-being by two South Dakota employers – Bayer Research and Development LLC in Harrisburg and NuStar Energy’s Central East Region in Sioux Falls – both of which recorded zero recordable injury or illness incidents in 2022. 

The companies are members of the OSHA Region VIII Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association Inc. and among 36 “Zeroes Heroes” companies in the six-state region that includes Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. These companies have all achieved OSHA’s VPP status and shown that developing comprehensive safety and health programs is the most effective way for businesses to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses.

To understand the significance of Zeroes Heroes status, consider that private industries reported 2.6 million injuries and 5,190 fatalities in 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.

The association lauded its 36 zeroes heroes on June 7, 2023, at a conference in Westminster, Colorado, and presented awards for significant achievement in the safety and health profession.

“These ‘Zeroes Heroes’ sites show that by committing to systems-based approaches to employee safety and health — such as the OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs — employers can keep workers safe and free of injury,” explained OSHA Regional Administrator Jennifer Rous in Denver. “OSHA applauds the hard work of our VPP partners that kept their worksites free of workplace injuries in 2022. The determination of these companies and a group of volunteers to provide members with conferences, training, mentoring and other assistance to ensure effective safety and health programs is a model for others to follow.”

During the June conference, OSHA Region VIII VPP also presented Leaders of the Year awards to Jonathan Caccamise from Onward Energy’s SWG Arapahoe LLC in Denver; Joseph Sviatko from Black Hills Energy’s Cheyenne Prairie Generating Station in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Ryan Hellman from Hellman and Associates LLC in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

The OSHA Region VIII named Bob Simmons of Marvin, a building materials wholesaler, its Special Government Employee of the Year for his service on multiple VPP onsite evaluate teams, assistance with formal training programs, and for providing driver safety outreach in his voluntary service.

OSHA Region VIII also recognized four companies for successfully completing at least 10 continuous years of participation in the VPP program, namely RK Industries in Denver; Northrop Grumman in New Town, North Dakota; NuStar Energy’s Central East Region in Jamestown, North Dakota; and Phillips 66’s Casper Station in Casper, Wyoming.

Learn more about developing effective safety and health programs.

Learn more about the VPPPA National Program and its annual Safety+, an integrated safety and health management systems symposium from Sept. 17-20 in Orlando, Florida.