By VOICES Staff.
The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) unveiled the recipients of its prestigious safety awards for 2023. The awards recognize outstanding achievements in safety within the U.S. shipbuilding, maintenance and repair industry to help end workplace accidents.
Matthew Paxton, president of SCA, said in a statement to American Maritime VOICES, “Workforce health and safety is embedded into the fabric of our industry because the teams that work in our shipyards and throughout the industrial base are the most important asset we have in building and repairing the U.S. commercial and military fleets.”
SCA recognizes shipbuilding and repair organizations with the “Award for Significant Safety Achievement” which commends shipyards with zero fatalities and a total recordable incident rate (TRIR) below 1.0, determined by the yards’ responses to the SCA Injury & Illness survey for all four quarters.
Additionally, SCA issues the “Award for Excellence in Safety” and the “Award for Improvement in Safety.” These awards celebrate companies’ enhanced operations and their promotion of safety and accident prevention.
Alabama Shipyard was given the “Excellence in Safety Award” for the second year in a row in 2023. Located at the mouth of the Mobile River, the company’s employees are among the almost 13,000 men and women of American Maritime working in Alabama.
Greg Wagner, CEO of Alabama Shipyard, said, “Our team works tirelessly to ensure the safety of each individual working in or visiting our shipyard This award is a testament to their dedication. We are proud of our team and are grateful to have been acknowledged for our hard work”
Bollinger Shipyards was honored with all three of the SCA’s awards for 2022, with Bollinger’s president and CEO saying that the company was able to achieve its success because of its employee’s dedication to safety.
“Despite the challenges presented by the ongoing global pandemic and the devastating loss following Hurricane Ida, the men and women of Bollinger maintained their commitment to upholding the highest level of safety in our industry – the Bollinger Standard,” said Ben Bordelon, Bollinger President and CEO. “I want to commend the resilience and dedication of our employees who continued to work safely and efficiently to deliver high-quality vessels for our customers on schedule and on budget.”
America’s shipyards have committed extensively to modernizing their practices and ensuring the health and wellness of employees. This enables shipbuilders and repair yards like Bollinger Shipyard and Alabama Shipyard to undertake complex conversion projects and build vessels for the U.S. Navy, without risking employee safety.
Year-over-year, TRIR in the U.S. shipbuilding and repair industry continues to decline – a significant achievement over other heavy building and manufacturing industries.
The following U.S. 26 shipyards and repair facilities were recognized for their safety practices this year:
Award for “Significance in Safety”
- Cascade General, Vigor Portland (Portland, Ore.)
- Metal Shark Boats (Jeanerette, La.)
- Philadelphia Ship Repair (Philadelphia, Pa.)
- Vigor Fabrication (Portland, Ore. Metro Region)
Award for “Excellence in Safety”
- Alabama Shipyard (Mobile, Ala.)
- Austal USA (Mobile, Ala.)
- BAE Systems Jacksonville Ship Repair (Jacksonville, Fla.)
- Bollinger Shipyards (Lockport, La.)
- Cascade General, Vigor Portland (Portland, Ore.)
- Conrad Shipyard (Morgan City, La.)
- Fincantieri Marinette Marine (Marinette, Wisc.)
- Metal Shark Boats (Jeanerette, La.)
- Metal Shark Franklin Shipyard (Franklin, La.)
- MHI Ship Repair & Services (Hampton Roads, Va.)
- Philadelphia Ship Repair (Philadelphia, Pa.)
- Southwest Shipyard L.P. (Channelview, Texas)
- Vigor Alaska (Ketchikan, Alaska)
- Vigor Fabrication (Portland, Ore. Metro Region)
Award for “Improvement in Safety”
- Austal USA (Mobile, Ala.)
- Colonna’s Shipyard, Inc (Norfolk, Va.)
- Conrad Shipyard (Morgan City, La.)
- Eastern Shipbuilding Group (Panama City, Fla.)
- MHI Ship Repair & Services (Hampton Roads, Va.)
- Philadelphia Ship Repair (Philadelphia, Pa.)
- Southern Oregon Marine (Coos Bay, Oregon)
- Vigor Alaska (Ketchikan, Alaska)
