W.A. Parish Plant receives prestigious worksite honor
By B.J. POLLOCK
Texas Genco's W.A. Parish Plant held a huge celebration Wednesday in honor of its earning an OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs prestigious Star Award.
The VPP Star Celebration was attended by hundreds of Parish Plant employees and OSHA representative Russ Elveston, and included a special meal.
The program began at about 11 a.m. with Bob Osco, general manager of the Parish Plant, as the first of the event's key speakers.
Osco said he knew the plant and its employees were ready to apply for the VPP Star Award, but the week during the audit that earned them the honor was "full of emotions."
"It was a real roller coaster from day one with the emotions, up and down," he said. "I've got to hand it to OSHA. They put you on that roller coaster ride, but it's with a purpose."
By the time OSHA's audit, which was conducted the week of May 3, was complete, Osco said, "there's nothing you want more than to be accepted."
"We made it through," he said, calling the accomplishment "an outstanding moment" in the history of the W.A. Parish Plant.
"I truly believe that each and every one of you here today deal with a lot of risk and have to make a lot of decisions," said Osco, adding the plant's employees think about those decision and their consequences on a daily basis.
He said the VPP Star Award program helps identify those risks and train Parish Plant employees to make the right choices with positive results.
"A team is always stronger than its individuals ... but it takes the individuals to make up that team, and it's individuals who make the difference," Osco said. "I have to thank everyone here at W.A. Parish for their unselfish achievements to make this (award) possible."
Texas Genco President David Tees described the earning of the award as "a team effort," and said the employees of the plant brought forward the idea to apply for it in the first place.
"Over the years, we've worked harder and harder and harder on safety," he said, adding the plant's 1,500 employees monitor themselves and each other to make certain any safety issues are identified and addressed.
Tees said the award is proof that the employees are "very professional in your workplace."
Mike Reed, vice president of Texas Genco Regulated Plant Operations, said earning the award "has been difficult, and it's been a challenge," but was one for which plant employees were ready.
"I'm very proud of everyone because you made it happen," he told the crowd. "Y'all have done an outstanding job."
"It truly was a large team effort. It truly was a company-wide effort for Texas Genco," said Randy Gauny of the W.A. Parish Site Safety Team. "Even our visitors made comments about how we stress safety. It's not about getting the Star, it's about everybody getting home safely."
Fellow safety team member Gary Schroeder agreed, and had several groups of employees stand and be recognized for the efforts in keep the plant safe.
"You feel like you're in a living Nike commercial - just do it," he said of working at the plant.
Bruce Bettilyon, union business representative for IBEW #66, said, "We didn't do it - y'all did. This is your day to be recognized."
Elveston called the award an "extremely outstanding accomplishment," and presented the plant with the large VPP Star Award flag, which was run up the pole at the administration building by maintenance crew leader Roy Sims and Tommy Kaderka.
Parish Plant employee Lester Miller served as deejay for the event, warming up the crowd with tunes such as "Celebration" and "I Feel Good."
Fellow employee Raul "Mr. Trick" Padilla performed a variety of impressive magic tricks, including causing 45 rpm records to change color, floating a $1 bill and popping a balloon to reveal a white dove inside.
Parish employee Kenneth Carroll introduced each speaker, and also recognized special guests such as Fort Bend County Precinct 1 Commissioner Tom Stavinoha, Thompsons Mayor Freddie Newsome, Rosenberg-Richmond Area Chamber of Commerce President Gail Parker and a group of Parish Plant retirees.
The plant was originally known as Smithers Lake Plant, and was renamed in 1958 in honor of past Houston Lighting and Power Company President Walter Alvin Parish.
It is located on a 4,880-acre site near Thompsons, and includes four gas-fired generators, four coal-fired generators and one gas-turbine generator with a total capability of generating 3,653 megawatts of electricity.
The first of the gas-fired units began operations in June, 1958, and the first of the coal-fired units became operational in December, 1977.
The plant, which is the largest fossil-fueled plant in America, has been declared "among the cleanest" of its kind in the country by Power magazine, which said the plant has reduced its NOx levels to "microscopic levels."
OSHA's VPP Star Award program promotes effective worksite-based safety and health. The earning of a Star Award and acceptance into the VPP program is OSHA's official recognition of the outstanding efforts of employers and
employees who have achieved exemplary occupational safety and
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment