Austal USA earns 14th Shipbuilders Council of America safety award
MOBILE, Ala. – Austal USA earned the Shipbuilders Council of America’s (SCA) 2020 Excellence in Safety award the organization recently announced. This is the 14th SCA safety award Austal has earned in its 20-year history, including awards the last seven consecutive years, making the company one of the safest shipyards in the United States.
“At Austal USA, safety is at the core of our culture. Providing our workforce with the safest working environment possible is our number one priority,” Austal USA interim president Rusty Murdaugh said. “This award is another indication of the total team dedication to workplace safety.”
SCA’s Excellence in Safety award is based on Austal’s commitment to safety by maintaining a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) that is well below the respective Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) industry average assigned for shipbuilding. The company’s TRIR for calendar year 2020 was 2.49, which is significantly lower than OSHA’s industry average of 5.10. Austal has been recognized for excellent safety practices 21 times since 2008, including by SCA and American Equities Underwriters, which also recognized Austal for its superior safety performance in 2020.
“U.S. shipyards are dedicated to upholding the highest safety standards and advancing safe practices for our workforce, and as such, were prepared and ready to take on the challenges brought on by COVID-19,” SCA President Matthew Paxton said. “We commend these yards for not only rising to the occasion to keep our country operating during the pandemic, but also for continuing to prioritize the well-being of this essential workforce.”
Always looking to find innovative ways to build upon its safety success, Austal USA recently hired Sam Cordts as its director of Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) operations. Cordts brings 15 years of innovative industrial safety management experience and has quickly bolstered HSE practices at Austal USA’s service centers in San Diego and Singapore by implementing an interactive, employee-driven preventive maintenance safety plan. This proactive approach to workplace hazard prevention at Austal’s service centers guarantees that operation crews remain safe while using tools and equipment including rigging gear, mobile equipment and fire bottles. Initiatives like these, and enhanced communication between production employees and managers, reinforce the company’s continued priority on safety and wellness.
Austal’s award winning safety program not only makes Austal one of the safest shipyards, but directly reflects on the company’s excellent efficiency and performance record of consistent on-time and on-budget delivery of new construction ships and services. This dedication to safety, innovation, efficiency and production is a cornerstone of Austal USA and propelled the company to being one of the premier shipbuilders for the U.S. defense industrial base.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the team and I’m honored to work with such dedicated professionals,” Murdaugh said.
