California Landfill Wins VPP Star
The certification by Cal/OSHA and federal OSHA followed a three-year safety project at the Clean Harbors facility.
Clean Harbors, a Norwell, Mass.-based operator of more than 50 waste management facilities in North America and others located in Bulgaria, China, Sweden, Singapore, Thailand, and the United Kingdom, announced Thursday that its Buttonwillow, Calif. landfill has achieved OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs Star status. The certification followed a three-year safety project by Clean Harbors that was directed by a committee of employees at the 320-acre facility.
The company said VPP, Cal/OSHA, and Clean Harbors representatives conducted inspections and made additional recommendations during the project. "VPP certification is a rigorous process that was driven by our volunteer employee committee. All of our employees, as well as our contractors, were committed and participated in the process," said Clean Harbors Buttonwillow General Manager Marianna Buoni. "The certification process was a natural extension to our traditional focus on health and safety in all of our operations. The VPP designation testifies to our safety culture and our commitment to provide a healthy work environment, now and in the future."
The Buttonwillow Class One landfill accepts hazardous waste, including federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) waste and materials that fall under California hazardous waste regulations.