Employees at the main branch of the SLT post office.

By Kathryn Reed

An injury rate of 76 percent below the average for post offices is one reason the employees of the main office in South Lake Tahoe were honored by the Occupational Safety and Heath Administration.

A slew of dignitaries expressed their appreciation for the hard work of the staff at the Al Tahoe Boulevard facility. About 20 of them were on hand for the festivities Tuesday morning.

Ken Nishiyama Atha, regional administrator with OSHA, said the Voluntary Protection Program that this office is part of helps keep workers’ compensation and medical costs down.

VPP is a combined effort of management and employees to make a safe work environment.

As SLT City Manager Dave Jinkens pointed out, safety is not something management can dictate – it takes cooperation.

Greg Seely, VPP coordinator of the Western area of the US Postal Service, said the South Tahoe office is in rare company. Fewer than 100 workplaces are at a five star level like the Tahoe post office.

OSHA has had the Voluntary Protection Program since 1982, with the USPS being part of it the last five years.