Eastman Chemical Company Receives Volunteer Star Safety Award

COMPANY EARNS STAR AWARD FOR THE FOURTH TIME

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Karla Davis announced that the Eastman Chemical Company facility located in Kingsport, Tennessee was chosen to receive the Volunteer STAR (Safety Through Accountability and Recognition) award.

“The Eastman Chemical facility located in Kingsport has met the evaluation standards required to receive this award by proving their ability to provide an excellent safety and health management system," said Steve Hawkins, Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration Assistant Administrator, who presented the Volunteer STAR award today at the company’s facility located at 100 N. Eastman Road in Kingsport. “It is evident that Eastman and the employees of the Kingsport facility are extremely dedicated to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace.” 

The Volunteer STAR award is the state’s highest honor for workplace safety and health and a nationally recognized program. The Volunteer STAR is patterned after the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) and recognizes the best of the best in the area of safety and health programming and performance. 

Eastman Chemical Company – Kingsport has more than 10,000 employees and contractors engaged in resin, synthetic rubber, and artificial and synthetic fibers and filaments manufacturing. Eastman is one of Tennessee’s first Volunteer STAR sites, originally certified in 1998.  This will be the site’s fourth consecutive Volunteer STAR certification. There are currently only 35 Volunteer STAR sites in Tennessee. 

For the three-year period 2009-2011, the site’s safety record is as follows: 

• Three-year Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) is 0.63
  74% below the current Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) industry average

• Three-year Days Away from Work and Restricted Activity and/or Transfer Incidence Rate (DART) rate is 0.28
  81% below the current BLS industry averages

A certificate of recognition is awarded to the STAR recipient, as is a flag that can be flown at the site. The company is also permitted to use the Volunteer STAR logo on its correspondence and company documents.

The standard for participation in the STAR program is the confirmation of a company’s safety and health program, which helps reduce accidents and injuries. The program also allows employers to be removed from programmed compliance inspection lists for a period of three years.

For more information on the Volunteer STAR award program and other TOSHA award programs contact TOSHA Nashville office at (800) 249-8510.

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