How are winners chosen? What the criteria?

Since 2007, AEU has annually recognized the ALMA members with the most effective safety programs. The awards are based on year and are acknowledged at various AEU events the following year including the annual Conference. 

There are three factors used to determine the award winners:

• of lost time cases – a ratio of the number of lost-time cases compared to the member’s payroll for the calendar year.
• of lost time cases – a ratio of the total incurred losses from lost-time cases compared to the member’s payroll for the calendar year. 
• AEU Safety Benchmark^® for the calendar year (where applicable) – after each AEU Loss Control inspection, our loss control staff provides a numerical metric to the member based on management commitment, supervisor participation in the safety program, the effectiveness of the safety staff and compliance with previous AEU loss control recommendations.

Once all three of these factors have been calculated and ranked against other ALMA members, the winners are carefully reviewed to ensure the list reflects the safest programs in the membership. 

While there are many safety award programs managed by various industry or trade associations in maritime and other industries nationwide, we believe the criteria used in the AEU Safety Award program are the most effective in measuring not only incident prevention performance but also specific management-based controls.

Can an ALMA member be a repeat winner of an AEU Safety Award?

We often see repeat winners of the AEU Safety Awards. This is because each year all ALMA members are ranked per the aforementioned criteria, regardless of whether or not they are a prior Safety Award winner. Since companies with strong safety programs often continue on that same path, we frequently see the same ALMA members at or near the top of the list. 

Why don’t we offer credit on premium to winners? 

Safety performance and claims history is monitored by an AEU underwriter throughout the policy term and are used to evaluate and calculate pricing at each renewal. This means members are always receiving the earned premium credits regardless of whether or not they are an AEU Safety Award winner.  AEU Safety Award winners are eligible for sponsorship of their company’s employee recognition event, should they choose to have one.

What are the benefits of winning an AEU Safety Award? 

The AEU Safety Awards have become a competitive and coveted industry-wide award program.  Due to the large number of members in ALMA across the maritime industry, the AEU Safety Award program is a true representation of all industries covered by the Longshore Act. Winners of the AEU Safety Awards often use this recognition as a means of illustrating their commitment to an effective safety program in their industry. This recognition is meaningful not only to industry peers, but also to current and potential customers who value a company’s commitment to employee safety. It demonstrates to these current and prospective customers that the company is well-managed, not only in incident prevention but also in terms of production, efficiency and avoidance of all types of losses. 

Additional benefits of winning an AEU Safety Award include:

• Representation from AEU at optional employee recognition event
• Guidance on public relations related to award, including building interest among local media, industry media, and public officials
• Acknowledgment at AEU events, including the ALMA Conference and AEU Regional and National Forums
• One invitation to that year’s ALMA Conference (if company does not already qualify)
• One promotional video featuring your company as an award winner