The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) formally honored Cintas Corp.’s Rental Division in Hattiesburg, MS, as a VPP Star-certified location.

OSHA created the VPP Star program to recognize standout worksites with comprehensive, successful safety and health management systems. Companies that have earned a VPP Star designation have achieved injury and illness rates at or below the national average of their respective industries and established strong workplace hazard-control programs.

During the presentation, Jessi Robelot, the manager of the Hattiesburg location, accepted the honors on behalf of their team.

“It is truly an honor to achieve VPP Star certification here at our Cintas location in Hattiesburg,” Robelot said. “This is the culmination of every employee-partner being engaged and genuinely caring for each other. We also realize that VPP is about continuous improvement, so there will always be more work to do when it comes to advancing our health and safety culture.”

OSHA established VPP Star to promote effective and cooperative worksite safety and health in both private industry and government worksites.

Achieving VPP Star certification requires a rigorous process. Businesses must demonstrate that management and employees work cooperatively – and proactively – to prevent workplace accidents by implementing a comprehensive safety and health-management system and maintaining injury and illness rates below national Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) averages for their respective industries.

This program is OSHA’s official recognition of the outstanding efforts of employers and employees who have achieved exemplary occupational safety and health. To remain in the program, participants must be re-evaluated every three to five years.

Cintas’ commitment to OSHA’s VPP Star program has set a new standard for U.S. companies. As of this August, 130 Cintas facilities in the U.S. are VPP Star certified, a total that far exceeds that of every other American company.

“Earning this certification means that all of us, from management to our front-line employee-partners, worked in unison to help eliminate workplace injuries and illnesses,” said Stephen Jenkins, Cintas vice president of health & safety. “This collaboration is integral to our Cintas culture and our health and safety system. Without it, we would not have been able to achieve this recognition. We are immensely proud of our employee-partners’ commitment to working together to ensure safe and healthy worksites across our company.”

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