Parsons Corp. Newest Member of OSHA's VPP Corporate Pilot

WASHINGTON -- Parsons Corp. recently became the newest participant in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) Corporate Pilot.

Launched in May 2004, the primary goal of the program is to streamline the application and onsite evaluation processes for organizations that are committed to VPP.

"Parsons Corporation has implemented a safety and health management system that reflects the quality standards set forth in OSHA's VPP," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. "As the newest member of the VPP Corporate Pilot, we applaud Parsons for achieving exemplary safety and health practices at all of its worksites and look forward to continuing our successful relationship to protect employees well into the future."

The VPP onsite evaluation team noted that Parsons implements a strong safety and health philosophy throughout the organization. The company created a vice president of safety position with a staff of more than 10 safety professionals, as well as administrative support staff, to address safety issues. Additionally, Parsons realigned its organizational structure so that safety representatives from all levels reported directly to the vice president of safety, rather than to other management representatives whose priorities did not include safety.

Parsons is the seventh active participant to become part of the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP), joining Washington Division of URS Corp., Georgia-Pacific, General Electric Co., U.S. Postal Service, Dow Chemical Co. and Fluor Corporation.

"Our focus is on providing a safe and healthy workplace and ensure that everyone who comes in contact with our operations returns home safely each night," said Chuck Harrington, Parsons CEO. "We are honored that OSHA has accepted Parsons as one of the first companies into their Corporate Pilot Program."

With 11,500 employees worldwide, Parsons Corporation is one of the world's largest engineering and construction firms. Parsons employs more than 3,500 contractors which allows the company to influence the safety and health of an even larger number of employees. Currently, the Pasadena, Calif.-based company has seven active OSHA VPP sites.

For more information, visit www.osha.gov.