Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard has won the Department of the Navy's Fiscal Year 2008 Safety Excellence Award, Donald Winter, secretary of the Navy, announced Tuesday.

This is the second consecutive year the shipyard earned the safety award.

In 2007, the shipyard was recognized for achieving elite "Star" status under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Voluntary Protection Programs. The 2008 award is for "Safety Ashore" in the industrial category.

"Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard workers live the motto 'Mission First, Safety Always,' Shipyard Commander Capt. Gregory Thomas said in a news release. "We are honored that Secretary Winter has chosen to once again recognize this complete integration of safety into our command culture. Our entire workforce — from deck plate mechanic and nuclear engineer to Shipyard manager and union leader — teamed together to achieve this success," Thomas said in the release

"Our commitment to safety prevents loss of life, precludes injuries, and protects our equipment. And that commitment directly translates into mission success, which is to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet 'Fit to Fight.'"

The annual award is the Navy's most prestigious safety award. It recognizes Navy and Marine Corps commands that demonstrate exceptional operational excellence by sustained mission success with simultaneous exemplary safety performance. This is the seventh year these awards have been presented.

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard is the largest industrial employer in the state of Hawai'i with a combined civilian and military workforce of about 4,700. It has an operating budget of $600 million, of which more than $390 million is payroll for civilian employees. The shipyard, strategically located in the Pacific Ocean, is a full-service naval shipyard and regional maintenance center for the U.S. Navy's surface ships and submarines.

For more information on Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, visit www.phnsy.navy.mil.