June 2017
SIU-contracted Alaska Tanker Company (ATC) recently added to its already substantial collection of wellearned safety awards.
In early April, the company received the Governor’s Special Achievement Award during the 36th annual Governor’s Safety and Health Conference in Anchorage, Alaska. ATC was recognized for its crews having completed more than 21 million man-hours (spanning 15 years) with only a single losttime injury (a fractured finger). The company also noted that its vessels “have carried over 1.5 billion barrels of Alaskan crude oil, and there have been no crude-oil spills to sea in this period (except two gallons of water laced with a trace amount of crude oil in 2003, 200 miles offshore).”
Always quick to acknowledge their mariners and the respective unions that represent them, ATC credited both the SIU and the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA) in an article the company submitted for the conference. ATC said it is “deeply grateful” to both unions “for their long-term partnerships.”
ATC has been previously recognized for its safe operations by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, legislators from the State of Alaska, the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council, the Washington State Department of Ecology, the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response, the Pacific States–British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force, and the AFL-CIO. ATC also received the U.S. Coast Guard’s prestigious Benkert “Osprey” Award in recognition of outstanding achievement in marine environmental protection and community outreach.
In the aforementioned article, the company noted, “This long-term performance by the men and women of ATC … is simply stunning…. Our belief has been that if we demonstrably care for each individual and give workers the tools they need to work safely on every job they do, their personal commitment will grow. Ultimately, and over time, that individual commitment to safety will drive safety performance to levels that were previously unattainable. Deep personal introspection in each crew member, when combined with training, education, and advocacy for safety, created this positive work environment on the ships.”
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