VPPPA Annual Awards
Applications for 2025 are closed. VPPPA will start accepting applications for next year in early May 2026.
The VPPPA Annual Awards recognize those VPPPA member sites and individuals that have made exceptional contributions to advancing health and safety excellence through collaboration, mentorship, and education to raise the standard for a safe & healthy workplace. These pioneers have shared their knowledge of safe practices with others or developed new techniques to create a safer and healthier work environment.
All award submissions undergo a comprehensive technical review by the National VPPPA Awards and Scholarship Committee subject matter experts.
Awards
Mentor of the Year NEW!
Award Criteria
*Required
- The Mentor needs to be an active Full Member company or an employee of an active Full Member company.*
- The Mentor needs to accomplish or needs to have the mentee accomplish any of the following during mentor-mentee process:
- The mentor must meet regularly (i.e., at least quarterly per year) with mentee to monitor and document progress. These meetings must include a joint review of the current health and safety workplace status of the mentee, and the mentor must provide recommendations on what the mentee needs to do to improve their workplace health and safety.*
- The mentor must provide the mentee with information on how to prepare a successful application to OSHA for VPP Star Site status.*
- Based on the mentor’s support, the mentee applies to OSHA for VPP Star Site status.
- Based on the mentor’s support, the mentee achieves VPP Star Site status.
VPP Outreach Award
The purpose of the VPP Outreach Award is to provide recognition for our “VPP Ambassadors”. This award recognizes those who achieve an outstanding level of outreach activity and encourage others to share their knowledge. Reaching out to communicate and persuade others of the benefits of pursuing OSHA or DOE VPP approval is an important part of the mission of the VPPPA. Another part of the mission is to persuade other government regulatory agencies to adopt similar programs. The VPP Outreach Award is for an individual, company or worksite that has done an extraordinary amount of work in these areas.
VPP Innovation Award
The purpose of the VPP Innovation Award is to provide recognition for an individual, company or worksite that has developed and successfully implemented an innovation, encouraged others to try new approaches and emphasized the value of creativity and flexibility in the resolution of worker safety and health problems. The innovation may be program-related or of a technical nature.
Safety & Health Outreach Award
The Safety and Health Outreach Award honors individuals, companies, or worksites that excel in extending their safety, health, technical, and management knowledge to other departments within their site. This award recognizes those who have demonstrated exceptional outreach efforts to enhance safety and health practices across various areas of their organization.
VPPPA Emerging Safety Leader Excellence Award
The VPPPA Emerging Safety Leader Excellence Award recognizes and celebrates outstanding individuals with less than 10 years of experience in the EHS field. They have demonstrated exceptional dedication, leadership, and innovation in advancing health and safety excellence. This award honors the next generation of safety professionals who have gone above and beyond in making a significant impact on workplace safety, regardless of whether they come from a VPP site or a non-VPP site.
Current Safety Star
See previous honorees.
The VPPPA Safety Star of the Quarter is a program to honor and recognize an employee’s achievements in safety performance and professionalism.
Awards Recognition
Award winners will be recognized at the annual Safety+ Symposium. Additionally, winners are featured in a special post on VPPPA’s social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter), a press release goes out to our media/news outlets, and an eblast announcement is sent to all members.
Congratulations to our 2025 Award Winners!
Emerging Safety Leader Excellence Award
Waste Treatment Completion Company
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With just four years in the Environment, Health, and Safety field, Michelle has already made a lasting impact at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. A certified Associate Safety Professional and an Associate in Risk Management, she is recognized for her proactive approach to hazard prevention, leadership on high-risk systems, and deep commitment to employee engagement. Michelle’s work with VPP teams and cross-functional safety initiatives reflects the innovation, integrity, and people-first mindset that define the next generation of safety leaders. Michelle was nominated by Wade Bruemmer and Chris Musick of Waste Treatment. Congratulations Michelle!
Amentum
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As Deputy Lead at Amentum’s Augusta Program, Austin has become a driving force for safety culture and performance. From halting unsafe operations and leading critical hazard corrections to earning his Safety Trained Supervisor certification as the program’s first non–Project Management Office lead, he leads by example. Austin’s proactive approach, integrity, and impact on team-wide awareness embody the next generation of safety leadership. Austin was nominated by Trevor Wallace and Christopher Gray of Amentum. Congratulations Austin!
Wright Brothers The Building Company
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Kristen represents the next generation of safety leadership. As a Safety Intern at Wright Brothers, she has taken initiative far beyond expectations—designing impactful campaigns like “Beat the Heat” and “Safety Squatch,” completing multiple safety certifications including OSHA 30, and setting her sights on becoming a Certified Industrial Hygienist. Kristen’s creativity, commitment, and service to both her workplace and community, including volunteer work with her therapy dog Bailey, embody the spirit of this award. Kristen was nominated by Tommy Williams and Dane Higgins of Wright Brothers. Congratulations Kristen!
VPPPA Mentor of the Year Award
Chevron Phillips Chemical
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Erik mentored four worksites seeking VPP certification in 2024. He conducted mock audits to prepare mentees for on-site evaluations, shared guidance on how to improve performance, and conducted trainings for OSHA to help mentor newly appointed Special Government Employees (SGEs). For his commitment to supporting others, Erik has already received the SGE of the Year Award for the OSHA Dallas office and Mentor of the Year award for VPPPA Region VI. Erik was nominated by Lesli Trahan and Bishop Fitzgerald of Chevron Phillips and Liza Sutliff of LyondellBasell. Congratulations Erik!
VPP Innovation Award
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UCOR is honored with the 2025 VPPPA Innovation Award for its groundbreaking Mercury Hazard Assessment and Control Program, designed to address a complex and hazardous remediation challenge at the Department of Energy’s Y-12 National Security Complex. With no existing OSHA standard for mercury exposure, UCOR developed a pioneering solution that combines integrates strategic planning, cross-functional teamwork, and cutting-edge protective measures—including hands-on worker training, enhanced respiratory protection, and state-of-the-art vapor control technologies. (REMOVE PARAGRAPH BREAK) This innovative program exemplifies the spirit of creativity, flexibility, and worker-focused safety, exceeding regulatory standards and setting a new benchmark for environmental and occupational health excellence. UCOR was nominated by Michelle Keever, Clint Wolfley and Matthew Clark of UCOR. Congratulations UCOR!
Safety and Health Outreach Award
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Olin has demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation, and commitment to continuous improvement in occupational safety and health. The company has developed collaborative and mentoring partnerships with community schools, hospitals, and business groups to promote best practices in health and safety. Closer to home, Olin has delivered safety improvements for its workforce with the development of its Hands-Off Tooling Initiative and Hazard Recognition Plus Program, the implementation of Stop Work Authority and Near Miss-Intervention into incident reporting and the administration of safety emergency drills to foster employee preparedness. Olin embodies the spirit of partnership and continuous learning that VPPPA champions. Olin was nominated by Daniel Davis of the Zachry Group and Mike Ochoa of Marquis Industrial Services. Congratulations Olin!
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