SEPTEMBER 18, 2013 — American Equity Underwriters, Inc. (AEU) this week presented Austal USA, a member of the American Longshore Mutual Association (ALMA), with its 2012 Safety and Health Award for a large shipyard.

Craig Perciavalle, (holding plaque) with Austal USA and AEU representatives

The award is given each year to the best performing ALMA members and is based on the number of accidents and the severity of accidents for the calendar year.
 
Jimmy Burgin, AEU Senior Vice President and Director of Loss Control, presented Austal USA president, Craig Perciavalle, with the award at Austal's shipyard in Mobile, Alabama – one of 68 shipyards insured by AEU nationwide.

After receiving the award from Mr. Burgin, Mr. Perciavalle commented, "We are extremely proud of this award as the safety and health of our employees is our top priority."

"Despite growing total employment from 800 to over 3,700 in just a few short years, we have successfully focused on improving the working environment of our employees as evidenced by receiving this award for third time," he continued. "This is a direct result of the hard work and intense focus of all of our employees, as well as their ultimate commitment to each other's safety and health."

Earlier this year, the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) honored Austal with its Award for Excellence in Safety for the fourth consecutive year. This honor is awarded to the shipyard members of the SCA with the lowest total recordable incidence rates (TRIR) based on quarterly injury and illness reports submitted to the SCA. This year, Austal contributed to the SCA's lowest TRIR averages ever, which was 65% below the industry average.