AUSTAL Bags SCA Award For Safety
Austal USA have been notified by the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) that Austal has earned the 2014 SCA Award for Improvement in Safety. According to the notification signed by Ian Bennett, SCA Manager of Government Affairs, “SCA awards this honor to shipyard members with a 10% or more year-on-year reduction of their total recordable incidents rates (TRIR).” The letter goes on to say, “Receiving this award is a testament to Austal’s ongoing commitment to safety.”
The SCA is a national trade association that represents 41 companies that own and operate over 120 shipyards, with facilities on all three U.S. coasts, the Great Lakes, the inland waterways system, Alaska and Hawaii. In 16 of the last 17 years, SCA’s average TRIR has been more than 20% below the industry average. The safety data Austal provided to SCA contributed to one of SCA’s lowest TRIR averages ever.
“We are proud to bestow this important industry safety award on Austal; a company that continually strives to make safety a top priority,” stated Matthew Paxton, President of the Shipbuilders’ Council of America. Mr. Paxton added, “At a time of such rapid growth for Austal, it is impressive that safety remains paramount and improvements continue to be made in their safety record.”
“Worker safety is a top priority at Austal USA” said President Craig Perciavalle. “The results Austal achieved to receive this important award are evidence of the hard work of all employees to maintain one of the safest working shipyards in the United States, especially those in operations who turn raw materials and drawings into incredible ships that support our great Navy.”
Perciavalle continued, “Not only does this safety record allow us to attract and maintain a superior workforce, but it also assists Austal in providing our client, the U.S. Navy, with the most efficient and cost-effective shipbuilding operation possible.”
Austal is currently under contract with the U.S. Navy to build ten 103-meter JHSVs under a 10-ship, $1.6 billion block buy contract and eight 127-meter Independence-variant LCS class ships which are a part of a 10-ship, $3.5 billion block buy contract.
