L'Oreal's Kentucky facility gets US manufacturing status

The facility is the last of L'Oreal's six manufacturing facilities in the US to receive the certificate, granted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Currently five of the facilities have earned VPP 'star' status, while one has achieved 'merit' status. The company's production and distribution facilities are based in New Jersey, Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio, Colorado and Texas. The VPP certification is awarded to production facilities that meet and exceed the safety and health regulation stipulated by the program, with the award being presented by Kentucky governor Ernie Fletcher. "The certification of our Florence, KY, facility is a further demonstration of our rigorous commitment to maintaining safe and productive work environments for our employees, our plants, and the communities in which we have facilities,"​ said Vince Serpico, Senior Vice President, Corporate Manufacturing, L'Oréal USA. Compliance with the VPP scheme means that the facility has achieved required standards that ensure safety and health standards have contributed to a reduction in the number of injuries and resulting days of absence, whilst in turn helping to increase worker attendance and work place efficiencies. Back in 2003, L'Oreal pledged to bring its six manufacturing facilities, which currently help generate annual sales of $4bn in the US, up to VPP standards within five years, a goal that it has now achieved. The reward is that L'Oreal currently has managed to reduce its rates of worker lost time and restricted duty because of accidents by over 70 per cent since 2003. This compares favorably with the rate of reduction in loss of worker time in the three years up to 2003, which showed a reduction of 44 per cent.