Monsanto Company’s Centralia Soybean Seed Facility has received the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star certification – the agency’s top safety classification. 

The certification was given to the Centralia site employees during a special ceremony today that included Director of Illinois Department of Agriculture Chuck Hartke and representatives from OSHA, the Monsanto Centralia site and Monsanto management from the company’s headquarters in St. Louis.

“The employees have worked toward this achievement since we opened the facility in 1999, with the major emphasis in the last three years,” said Centralia Site Manager Duane Scott. “We’re delighted to have now attained this honor.”

To earn the Star designation, a plant must undergo a rigorous OSHA audit showing that its safety programs and practices reach high levels of excellence. The plant must also have an accident rate that is below the rest of the industry. The site as a whole must meet all the safety criteria to be certified.

“Keeping people safe is a critical part of the way we operate at Monsanto,” said Kevin Lawrence, Monsanto’s global director of seed supply. “The Centralia site safety program is contributing toward our efforts to make our worldwide seed operations as safe as possible. We’re excited to add it to our growing numbers of VPP Star sites.”

The OSHA VPP Star audit team completed its final inspection of the Monsanto site at Centralia in December 2004 and identified no issues that needed additional attention. One-on-one interviews of employees by the OSHA team showed that all employees were positively involved with aspects of safety and with team involvement in safety performance.

Today’s announcement builds on a strong 2005 in terms of safety for Monsanto. In addition to receiving VPP Star certification at other Monsanto sites, Monsanto also received a Stevie Award for the company’s World Class Vehicle Safety Team. Since its implementation in 2002, the program has significantly reduced the company’s number of vehicular accidents, resulting in vehicle performance that is now at world-class levels.

Monsanto Company (NYSE:  MON) is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality.