PASCAGOULA, Miss., May 12, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Ship Systems sector, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and representatives from the Pascagoula and New Orleans Metal Trades Councils (MTC) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 733, have formalized an alliance to continuously foster a culture of shipyard safety while sharing best practices and technical knowledge on a variety of employee accident prevention issues.
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The company set a goal more than a year ago to become a member of OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) and has significantly reduced workplace accidents and injuries.
"We begin from an operational premise that the most important ingredient in the production of quality warships for the U.S. Navy is the people who build them. There is no better way for a company to express its concern and its appreciation for the fact that workers are the difference than to do everything we know how to do to promote safety in the workplace," said Dr. Philip A. Dur, Northrop Grumman corporate vice president and president of the company's Ship Systems sector. "We are conscious, concerned and determined to consistently improve workplace safety. With the awareness and assistance of each of our employees, and with the help and experience of our organized labor representatives, we will achieve this goal as anadditional manifestation of our commitment to safety."
The company is aggressively pursuing VPP compliance status, and has steadily reduced worker injury rates through a proactive plan of education and training, and employee communication.
Signing the agreement reached May 9 were Clyde P. Payne, area director for OSHA, Jackson, Miss., and David Doucet, area director for OSHA, Baton Rouge, La.; Bruce Williams, president of the New Orleans Metal Trades Council; Mike Crawley, president of the Pascagoula Metal Trades Council; and William "Chico" McGill, business manager of the IBEW, Local 733.
Representing Northrop Grumman Ship Systems were Paul Robinson, vice president of Ingalls Operations; George Yount, vice president of Avondale Operations; and Jay Foley, vice president of Gulfport Operations.
Northrop Grumman's Ship Systems Sector includes primary operations in Pascagoula and Gulfport, Miss.; and in New Orleans and Tallulah, La., as well as in a network of fleet support offices in the U.S. and Japan. Ship Systems, which currently employs more than 17,000 shipbuilding professionals, primarily in Mississippi and Louisiana, is one of the nation's leading full service systems companies for the design, engineering, construction, and life cycle support of major surface ships for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and international navies.
