DENSO, a leading mobility supplier, announced its Athens, Tennessee, facility earned the Volunteer Safety Through Accountability and Recognition (STAR) award from the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA).

The award is the state’s highest honor for workplace safety and health and is a nationally recognized program patterned after the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). This is the Athens facility’s fourth time receiving the honor. There are only 35 Volunteer STAR-accredited sites in the state.

“DENSO once again meets the high standards set to receive this award. The company has proven its ability to uphold an excellent safety record,” said Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Deputy Commissioner Dewayne Scott. “It takes effort and determination from everyone at the facility to create and maintain a safe and healthy workplace.”

Scott presented the Volunteer STAR award to DENSO’s managers and employees today in Athens. Such an honor would not be possible without DENSO employees’ commitment to safety, in Athens and around the world.

“We thank Deputy Commissioner Scott, TOSHA and the State of Tennessee for this cherished award, and for their continued partnership in making safety a top priority,” said Marty Deschenes, president of DENSO’s Athens facility. “While we always strive for manufacturing excellence and to support our customers, there is nothing more important than protecting our employees. We are grateful to everyone who helps us accomplish this, particularly our employees, our broader DENSO team and the State of Tennessee.”

In 2019, TOSHA recognized DENSO’s Maryville facility with the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence for Workplace Safety and Health, an honor given to companies that meet a required number of hours without lost-time workplace injuries or illnesses.

Safety has always been DENSO’s top priority, in its manufacturing processes, in the products it produces and in the last year, protecting employees from COVID-19.