Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star Status

Within the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), there are three levels of recognition: STAR, MERIT and DEMONSTRATION. Contractors' programs that meet the requirements for outstanding safety and health programs, earn VPP STAR status—the highest achievement level.

In December of 2003, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) first earned STAR distinction following a comprehensive evaluation of its application for the VPP program. At that time, ORISE was just the 21st DOE site and the first in Tennessee to earn such exemplary recognition.

In 2011 ORISE received its seventh consecutive Star of Excellence award. Today, ORISE is one of more than two dozen DOE sites to achieve VPP STAR status. As a STAR Site, ORISE has an obligation not only to maintain steady pursuit of excellence in safety, but also to share its success by mentoring other organizations.

Since 2003, ORISE employees have worked closely with representatives from Honeywell, Shaw Environmental, Pro2Serve, Wackenhut and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help these organizations in their pursuit of VPP certification. ORISE also assisted the Oak Ridge Transuranic Waste Processing Center contractor EnergX, LLC, in earning VPP Star status, making them the first Oak Ridge DOE environmental management program contractor to do so.

ORISE Nationally Recognized as a DOE Legacy of Stars Site

ORISE has been named a 2010 Legacy of Stars site. This is the second consecutive time ORISE has received the prestigious designation, which is held by only nine U.S. Department of Energy sites nationwide. ORISE first achieved this designation in 2008. The designation is awarded to organizations that participate in the DOE Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) and have received the agency’s Star of Excellence Award for three consecutive years.

To accomplish this, ORISE—which is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)—has maintained its STAR status through the continued pursuit of safety and health excellence, the implementation of outstanding outreach and mentoring efforts, and by maintaining a recordable injury rate that is 75 percent better than the average of comparable U.S. businesses.

“Safety comes first at ORISE, and being recognized as a Legacy of Stars site is so gratifying because it means that we are living and working in accordance with safety being one of our top priorities,” said ORISE Director Andy Page. “The challenge is to maintain that high standard now and in the future, and thankfully, the positive culture at ORISE makes us confident that we can do that.”