Who says you need to be the biggest company to receive OSHA's biggest honor?
General Magnaplate Corp., Linden, N.J., has been designated a Star Site by OSHA.
This highest designation given by OSHA makes General Magnaplate one of only four "smaller" companies in the United States to receive the honor.
Previously, the company earned the Merit Site award under OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) in which businesses voluntarily work to protect their employees against work-related injuries.
The highest award offered by the VPP, which is the Star Award, is reserved for participants that exceed OSHA standards, thereby making them models for their industry.
Although there are more than 200 large companies in the United States who have been awarded the Star Site Award, there are only four small companies who have received this designation.
The award was presented at a ceremony in Linden early last month.
"We are very pleased to be honored as an OSHA Star Site. We had set out on a mission to fortify the safety program of General Magnaplate's Linden facility by partnering with OSHA in the VPP," said Candida Aversenti, CEO of General MagnaPlate. "We're very proud of the hard work and commitment to safety our employees have demonstrated."
"General Magnaplate has demonstrated that small companies can implement safety and health programs that are effective thereby reducing potential injuries," said Norman Deitch, safety specialist from OSHA's New York office. "The efforts put forth by this company proves that such programs can be effective in not only large businesses, but smaller one's as well."
According to Deitch, General Magnaplate is at least 80 percent below the average number of injuries for their industry.
He noted that in 1998 and 1999, the company had no injuries that resulted in an employee being away from work.
The other small companies who were designated as an OSHA Star Site include Epicor, ELF Industrial Lubricants and Dock Resins Corp. all located in Linden.
General Magnaplate Corp. manufactures surface enhancements for metals and other substances.