PRESS RELEASES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Daniel K. Youhas | (202) 347-5462

Washington, DC - January 26, 2006 -- Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) member Cascade General, Inc. of Portland, OR announced the company completed 479 consecutive days of work without losing time to an injury.  The streak dates back to July 14, 2004 and is the longest period without a lost time injury in the company’s 63 year history. 

During this timeframe, employees at Cascade General worked over 824,000 man-hours.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines a lost time case as “a nonfatal traumatic injury that causes any loss of time from work beyond the day or shift it occurred.” 29 CFR 1960.2(l)(4)

Lindsay Docherty, Director Safety, Quality and Security, attributed the impressive achievement to having a steady, core group of employees who actively participate in the company’s safety committee and flex and stretch program.

"Cascade General is using the recent success of 479 days without a lost time injury to raise the bar with regard to our safety program and set goals of reducing our total recordable incident rate to 8.00 for 2006. This will account for an approximate improvement of 30% over the 2005 numbers and with continued cooperation of both Labor and Management, this goal can be achieved."

Cascade is no stranger to safety and health achievement.  The company was awarded both the 2002 and 2003 SCA Award For Excellence In Safety based on their total recordable incidence rate (TRIR). 

Located on Swan Island in Portland, OR, Cascade General, Inc. owns and operates the largest ship repair facility on the US West Coast.  Founded in 1942 by Henry Kaiser, the 60-acre, integrated facility is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Columbia/Willamette shipping channel.  Cascade repairs cruise ships, VLCCs engaged in the Alaskan oil run, North Pacific factory trawlers, and ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway Department. Regular customers include tugs and barges, cable-laying ships, and Corps of Engineers' dredges.

SCA is the largest and most broadly-based national trade association representing the U.S. shipyard industry. SCA members build, repair and service America's fleet of commercial vessels.  SCA members constitute the shipyard industrial base that maintains and repairs Navy combatant ships and other government craft, as well as builds small and midsized vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy and other government agencies.  The Council represents 38 companies that own and operate over 100 shipyards, with facilities on all three U.S. coasts, the Great Lakes, the inland waterways system and Hawaii. SCA also represents 26 affiliate members that provide goods and services to the shipyard industry.