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Wheelabrator Millbury Facility Excels in Safety
OSHA AWARDS ELITE VPP “STAR” CERTIFICATION

Millbury, MA—September 24, 2004 — Wheelabrator’s Millbury waste-to-energy facility will be recognized on September 24th as one of the safest industrial facilities in the United States. At ceremonies at the Millbury, Massachusetts facility, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) “Star” certification will be officially awarded to the plant. The Star certification, through OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), is the top federal safety award, honoring health and safety excellence.

Millbury’s Chairman of the Board of Selectman Bernie Plante and J. Drennan Lowell, President of Hampton, New Hampshire-based Wheelabrator Technologies Inc., will be on hand to help raise the OSHA VPP flag signifying the plant’s elite new status. “This is an important achievement for the people here at Wheelabrator Millbury,” said Lowell. “It is also another forward step in Wheelabrator’s mission to have each of the plants we operate reach this level of safety excellence.” Wheelabrator operates 23 independent power and waste-to-energy facilities throughout the United States. Ten other Wheelabrator projects currently have been certified as Star workplaces.

Nationwide, less than one industrial facility in 7000 has qualified for this prestigious award, and only 20 Star certifications have been awarded in the industrial category to which the Wheelabrator Millbury facility belongs.

Wheelabrator General Manager, Fred Confalone, commended all of his Plant’s employees on reaching the safety milestone, noting, “This award is the ultimate goal of every plant in every industry. Now our people know they're working at one of the safest facilities in the country. I want to personally thank all of the employees for their hard work and dedication, without which, the distinction of receiving this prestigious recognition would not be possible.”

To qualify for Star status, a worksite must have a three-year average injury rate below that of its industry average and must have demonstrated safety programs that greatly exceed OSHA standards. OSHA auditors recommend Star status after completing a comprehensive evaluation of a facility’s safety program, including its managers’ leadership, employee involvement, hazard prevention and control, and safety and health training.

The Millbury facility is a 1500-ton-per-day municipal waste-to-energy facility opened in 1987 to serve the disposal needs of central Massachusetts. The plant converts the trash into enough clean energy to supply the electricity needs of more than 50,000 homes.

Wheelabrator operates 17 waste-to-energy facilities and six independent power plants across the United States. Nine other Wheelabrator projects have received VPP Star certifications. They include Wheelabrator’s Frackville, PA waste coal-fired power plant and waste-to-energy plants in Concord, NH, North and South Broward County, FL, Hudson Falls, NY, Lisbon, CT, North Andover, MA, McKay Bay (Tampa), FL, and Gloucester County, NJ.

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