GE Lighting's Lexington, Kentucky Plant Earns Prestigious `STAR' Status

LEXINGTON, Ky.--April 25, 2002--For exemplary safety and health programs and rates, GE Lighting's Lexington Lamp Plant will on April 25 officially celebrate the plant's recognition as a ``STAR'' under the Voluntary Protection Partnership (VPP).

A program of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and adopted under the Kentucky OSH Program, VPP is a cooperative effort among industry, workers and government to assure safer workplaces in the U.S. STAR designation is the VPP's highest health and safety honor.

The Lexington production facility manufactures sealed beam lighting products for automotive and specialty applications for global markets. It is one of only 650 workplaces from among 6.5 million in the U.S. to achieve elite VPP status, based on OSHA statistics, and among only eight work sites in Kentucky to achieve the honor. The Lexington Lamp Plant is among 104 GE sites that have either been approved or recommended for approval to the OSHA VPP safety program or similar programs.

In a letter notifying the Lexington plant of its VPP STAR status, Kentucky Secretary of Labor Joe Norsworthy said, ``Your exemplary performance in occupational safety and health warrants recognition for being the `best of the best' within the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As a STAR participant, you have proven your ability to assure every worker with safe and healthful working conditions.''

In celebration of this significant achievement, Lexington Lamp Plant employees, IBEW Local 1627 union officials, GE Lighting business leaders, plus a host of local, state, and federal government and community officials, will participate in a ceremony from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. on April 25 at the plant (1801 Edison Drive). Lexington Lamp's plant manager, Richard Simpson, commented, ``Our employees have worked very hard and very diligently to earn the VPP's STAR status. Achieving VPP standards has proven to be effective in driving superior health and safety performance and in ensuring 100% compliance and minimizing injuries. I commend our employees and local union representatives, who have been key in the process to achieve this significant honor.''

GE Lighting's Global Environmental, Health and Safety General Manager, Bob Lubecky, said, ``Earning VPP STAR status is a great achievement for our Lexington Lamp Plant, our employees, and for our business. It signifies the importance GE Lighting and our employees place on health and safety.''

The Lexington Lamp Plant is one of GE Lighting's 49 global production facilities. GE Lighting, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is one of the General Electric Company's major businesses. A leader in technology, lamp manufacturing and marketing in the global lighting industry, GE Lighting has operations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia and produces more than 6,000 types of lighting products.