CHICAGO, June 30 -- The RR Donnelley & Sons Company Reno, Nev., print manufacturing facility has been awarded Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) "Star" certification from the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The Reno facility has the distinction of being the first gravure printing facility to be certified for VPP status. Only three other printing facilities in the United States currently hold VPP certification, and two of those are other RR Donnelley plants -- in Roanoke, Va., and Senatobia, Miss. The Voluntary Protection Plan is a rigorous set of processes and practices built around maintaining employee health and safety. The objective is to achieve a safer, healthier work environment. Participants include companies with effective safety and health programs, injury and/or illness rates lower than the industry average, and managers and employees who work together to prevent accidents and eliminate hazards. Only companies that demonstrate commitment to workplace safety and health beyond the requirements of the OSHA standards can participate. The Reno facility has been designated a "Star" site, which is the highest level of VPP certification. "RR Donnelley continues to place the highest priority on employee health and workplace safety across our entire platform," said John Paloian, Group President, Publishing and Retail Services. "Reno's achievement of VPP Star certification is one more demonstration of the strength of our ongoing commitment to our employees and our communities regarding this critical aspect of our business. We are very proud of the VPP Star certification that our Reno facility has achieved." Qualifying for VPP status requires an application process and an audit process. The audit process at RR Donnelley's Reno facility involved seven Nevada OSHA team members who spent close to a week in the plant. They reviewed policies, conducted more than 40 random employee interviews, and spent time on the plant floor auditing conditions and observing behaviors. According to Brent Jones, the VPP Coordinator for Nevada, "The VPP culture is well established at RR Donnelley's Reno facility, and it was very evident to the Nevada OSHA team conducting the survey." To qualify for VPP certification, employees at the Reno facility formed an implementation team that consisted of representatives from each department. The team conducted gap surveys and shared those results with a supervisory group. The team also planned strategies for communicating VPP to the rest of the plant, and solicited and implemented VPP best practices from other VPP sites.