R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) work sites
1-2 establish and maintain excellent safety and health programs in
1-3 workplaces that are recognized by the Occupational Safety and
1-4 Health Administration (OSHA) as models for others to emulate; and
1-5 WHEREAS, Cooperative interaction with OSHA gives companies
1-6 the opportunity to provide OSHA with valuable input on safety and
1-7 health matters and to provide industry with examples of effective
1-8 methods for accomplishing workplace safety and health objectives;
1-9 and
1-10 WHEREAS, While protecting workers from occupational safety
1-11 and health hazards, companies following the management guidelines
1-12 mandated for VPP membership experience decreased costs associated
1-13 with workers' compensation and lost work time, and often experience
1-14 increased production and improved employee morale as well; and
1-15 WHEREAS, VPP participants are a select group of facilities
1-16 that have designed and implemented health and safety programs that
1-17 meet specific criteria: "Star" participants meet all VPP
1-18 requirements; "Merit" participants have demonstrated the potential
1-19 and willingness to achieve Star program status and are implementing
1-20 planned steps to fully meet the requirements; while
1-21 "Demonstration," or "Demo," participants are contracting entities
1-22 that do not own the operating facility, but demonstrate all
1-23 guidelines of a "Star" program; and
1-24 WHEREAS, Through the VPP, management, labor, and OSHA
2-1 establish a cooperative relationship at each workplace to implement
2-2 strong programs designed to recognize and promote effective safety
2-3 and health management; and
2-4 WHEREAS, Region VI of the VPP is an area that consists of
2-5 Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas; a majority of
2-6 VPP sites are located within the Lone Star State, which is home to
2-7 78 of the 108 VPP facilities in Region VI; and
2-8 WHEREAS, These Texas sites, and their individual VPP
2-9 designations, include: in Alvin, Mundy at OXY Alvin (Demo), Mundy
2-10 at Solutia Chocolate Bayou (Demo), Solutia Chocolate Bayou (Star),
2-11 Occidental Chocolate Bayou Plant (Star), Equistar Tech Center
2-12 (Star); in Austin, Austin Industrial at Huntsman (Demo), Huntsman
2-13 Chemical Research Labs (Star), IBM Corporation (Star), Facilities &
2-14 Plant Service at IBM (Demo), Motorola, Inc., Ed Bluestein Plant
2-15 (Star), Motorola, Inc., Oak Hill Plant (Star); in Bay City, H. B.
2-16 Zachry Company Industrial Maintenance Service Division at Equistar
2-17 Matagorda (Demo), Equistar Matagorda (Star); in Bayport, Occidental
2-18 (Star); in Baytown, Bayer (Merit), Exxon Chemical Olefins Plant
2-19 (Star), Chevron Cedar Bayou (Star); in Beaumont, Mobil Chemical
2-20 Polyethylene Plant (Star), Mobil Chemical O/A Plant (Star),
2-21 Occidental (Star), Mobil Chemical Specialty (Star), Mobil Oil
2-22 (Star), Mobil Lube & Blending (Star); in Bullard, IP Texas Super
2-23 Tree (Merit), IP Super Tree Nursery (Star); in Camden, Champion
2-24 (Merit); in Carrollton, IP Dallas Container Plant (Star),
2-25 Halliburton-Otis Engineering (Star); in Channelview, Austin
2-26 Industrials at Equistar (Demo), Equistar Petrochemical (Star); in
2-27 Conroe, Huntsman Chemical (Star); in Corpus Christi, Hoescht
3-1 Celanese Technical Center (Star), Occidental Corpus Christi (Star),
3-2 Mundy at Hoescht Celanese (Demo); in Corrigan, Champion (Merit); in
3-3 Dallas, Occidental Dallas Silicates Plant (Star), Mary Kay
3-4 Cosmetics, Inc. (Star); in Deer Park, Occidental (Star), Akzo
3-5 (Merit), Rhom & Haas (Merit); in Freeport, Dow Texas Operations
3-6 (Star); in Gregory, Occidental Ingleside Plant (Star); in
3-7 Henderson, IP Henderson Lumber Mill (Star); in Houston, Mobil
3-8 Chemical (Star), Texaco, Inc., Technology Department (Star), United
3-9 Space Alliance (Star); in Ingleside, Dupont Corpus Christi Plant
3-10 (Star), Aker Gulf Marine (Star); in Iraan, Marathon Oil-Yates Field
3-11 (Star); in Jewett, Houston Industries (Merit); in LaPorte, Dow
3-12 Chemical (Star), Mundy at Dow (Demo), Geon (Star); in Longview,
3-13 Gregg Industrial Insulators, Inc., at Texas Eastman (Demo), Texas
3-14 Eastman (Star); in McKinney, Fisher Controls (Star); in Mont
3-15 Belvieu, Exxon (Star); in Nacogdoches, IP Nacogdoches Composite
3-16 Panel (Merit); in New Boston, IP New Boston Lumber Mill (Star); in
3-17 Pasadena, Mundy at OXY (Demo), Occidental PVC Resins Plant (Star),
3-18 Equistar Polymers Bayport (Star), Equistar Bayside (Star), Mobil
3-19 Mining and Minerals Operations (Star); in Port Arthur, Huntsman
3-20 Chemical (Star); in Port Lavaca, BP Chemicals (Star); in Port
3-21 Nechez, Huntsman (Star); in Seguin, Motorola, Inc., Automotive and
3-22 Industrial Engineering Group (Star), Motorola Automotive (Star); in
3-23 Sherman, Fisher Controls (Star); in Temple, Tenneco Packaging
3-24 (Star); in Texarkana, KerrMcGee Chemical Corp., Forest Division
3-25 (Star), KerrMcGee Wood Preserving (Star); in Texas City, Catalytic
3-26 Industrial Maintenance Company at Sterling Chemicals, Inc. (Demo),
3-27 Sterling Chemicals, Inc. (Star); in Victoria, Equistar (Star),
4-1 Equistar Chemical LP (Star); and in Wichita Falls, Vetrotex Certain
4-2 Teed Corporation (Star); and
4-3 WHEREAS, These companies are most deserving of commendation
4-4 for their efforts to protect the health and safety of Texas
4-5 workers, and it is indeed fitting to recognize them at this time;
4-6 now, therefore, be it
4-7 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
4-8 Legislature hereby recognize March 3, 1999, as Texas Voluntary
4-9 Protection Program Participants' Association Day and extend to all
4-10 those affiliated with the 12th Annual Region VI VPPPA Conference
4-11 now being held in Austin best wishes for continued success in their
4-12 efforts to create safer and healthier workplaces.
Merritt
_______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 337 was adopted by the House on March
3, 1999, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House