News | July 10, 2009

Covanta Springfield Recognized For Health And Safety Accomplishments By The U.S. Department Of Labor's Occupational Safety And Health Administration

Facility Earns OSHA VPP "STAR" Designation

Agawam, MA /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Covanta Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Covanta Holding Corporation (NYSE: CVA) and a world leader in the development and operation of large scale Energy-from-Waste and other renewable energy projects, today announced its Covanta Springfield facility has earned "STAR" status in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Voluntary Protection Program (OSHA VPP).

VPP "STAR" status is the highest honor given to worksites with comprehensive, successful safety and health management systems. In awarding this elite status, OSHA gives strong consideration to the level of employee involvement in on-site health and safety program development and to long-term management commitment and support. STAR recipients have also achieved injury and illness rates at or below the state average of their respective industries.

"A workplace culture that stresses health and safety above all else has led to a majority of our facilities achieving VPP 'STAR' recognition and has, most importantly, kept our employees safe on the job," said Seth Myones, President of Covanta Americas. "We congratulate our employees at Covanta Springfield for implementing on-site safety activities and procedures that have led to this significant achievement and furthermore thank them for their commitment to operational excellence."

Covanta Springfield is one of 29 Covanta facilities that has achieved the prestigious VPP "STAR" designation on a state or federal level and joins six other Covanta sites which have received the status in New England.

"The 'STAR' designation represents the joint commitment of Covanta Springfield and its 36 employees at the Agawam plant to systematically evaluate, identify and eliminate potential workplace hazards," said Marthe Kent, OSHA's New England Regional Administrator.

The Covanta Springfield facility commenced operations in 1988 and processes 408 tons per day of solid waste generated from residential and commercial operations throughout Western Massachusetts. The facility serves the needs of 16 long-term contract communities in Massachusetts and Connecticut and produces up to 9.4 megawatts of clean, renewable energy.

About Covanta

Covanta Energy is a subsidiary of Covanta Holding Corporation, an internationally recognized owner and operator of large-scale Energy-from-Waste and renewable energy projects and a recipient of the Energy Innovator Award from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Covanta's 38 Energy-from-Waste facilities provide communities with an environmentally sound solution to their solid waste disposal needs by using that municipal solid waste to generate clean, renewable energy. Annually, Covanta's modern Energy-from-Waste facilities safely and securely convert approximately 17 million tons of waste into more than 8 million megawatt hours of clean renewable electricity and create 10 billion pounds of steam that are sold to a variety of industries. For more information, visit www.covantaholding.com.

SOURCE Covanta Energy

Copyright [2009] PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2009 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved