Alcoa Lafayette Plant's Safety Program Recognized by MICCS.

Business Editors

LAFAYETTE, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 25, 2004

Alcoa (NYSE:AA) announced today that for the second year in a row, its Lafayette, Indiana, Operations received a safety achievement award in the "Owners" category for efforts toward ensuring the safety of contractor employees by the Metro Indianapolis Coalition for Construction Safety (MICCS). Lafayette was the only industrial facility to receive the award both in 2003 and 2004.

The Lafayette plant produces aerospace components and aluminum extrusions and tubes for customers worldwide.

Some of the criteria used by the award panel in selecting Alcoa included:

-- Injury statistics of contractors over a three-year period

-- Management commitment to safety

-- Safety roles and responsibilities for contracted projects

-- Safety planning and contractor safety prequalification process

-- Monitoring and reviewing contractor safety performance

In addition, the awards committee identified six additional items that demonstrated Lafayette's outstanding contractor safety program. These elements were:

-- Documented pre-job environment, health and safety (EHS) review

-- Contractor process training

-- Contractor hours worked reporting

-- Contractor EHS database management system

-- Tool inventory process for shutdowns

-- Lafayette's safety and health website contractor page

"We are extremely proud of our safety efforts at Lafayette. Safety is one of Alcoa's core Values, and we strive to measure our environment, health and safety progress in many ways, including the recognition we receive from external organizations, such as the MICCS, which is one of the largest of its kind in the U.S." said Matt Holland, CSP Safety and Health Manager.

Alcoa is the world's leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina, and is active in all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation and industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production and other capabilities of Alcoa's businesses to customers. In addition to aluminum products and components, Alcoa also markets consumer brands including Reynolds Wrap(R) foils and plastic wraps, Alcoa(R) wheels, and Baco(R) household wraps. Among its other businesses are vinyl siding, closures, fastening systems, precision castings, and electrical distribution systems for cars and trucks. The company has 120,000 employees in 41 countries and has been a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average for 45 years and the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes since 2001. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com