NEWPORT NEWS, Va., March 17, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded an ISO 14001 environmental management system certification from ABS Quality Evaluations (ABS QE), a third-party auditor of quality and environmental systems.
The award was presented to Continental Maritime, a subsidiary of the company's Shipbuilding sector. Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, a newly-formed sector of Northrop Grumman Corporation, is made up of the former Northrop Grumman Ship Systems and Newport News shipbuilding entities.
"Achieving this certification displays our employee's commitment to achieving environmental, health and safety goals," said Irwin F. Edenzon, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding - Gulf Coast. "This award acknowledges Continental as a shipbuilding industry leader in environmental systems management."
ISO, or International Organization for Standardization, is a non-governmental developer of world standards for business, government and society. ISO 14000 is a family of standards that are primarily focused on environmental management. The ISO 14001 is a certification of an environmental management system, which requires an organization to manage, measure, improve and communicate its environmental program in a more systematic way. Only those companies with excellent environmental programs qualify for this globally recognized certification.
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding is the largest industrial employer in the United States to receive this certification from ABS QE and is the only shipyard in the U.S. to have three distinctive certifications: the ISO 14001 environmental management certification, the ISO 9001 quality management certification and the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program certification.
One of the primary requirements for certification is to have a comprehensive list of environmental aspects associated with shipyard operations and identify those that can cause the most significant impacts to the environment. The key commitments of the shipyard's environmental policy include stopping pollution, obeying environmental rules, improving performance and reducing waste.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $32 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.