The approach has paid off in safety, where Borger's accident rate has plummeted more than 50 percent the past five years. The Borger plant now participates in the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Voluntary Protection Program, a partnership among OSHA, plant management and the union. VPP participants are a select group of facilities that have implemented outstanding health and safety programs. The plant already has achieved merit status and later this spring Gallaspy and Kerntke both expect to reach Star program status, the highest rating. The Borger refinery and NGL center is only one of 10 refineries in the United States recognized by OSHA as a VPP site.
Participation is voluntary and no disciplinary procedures are implemented as a result of the report.
The observed employee simply gets feedback on his safety performance. Kerntke said the feedback on at-risk behavior proved even more valuable when coming from a peer. Gallaspy said the idea wasn't exactly warmly received at first, although he allowed that a worker naturally has an aversion to somebody sitting down and watching him work. My hat's really off to the guys who did buy into the program back then. Kerntke said the key was getting the employees to buy into the program.