St. Johns Ship Building has appointed Nick Nelson as its first HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) officer.
“I am proud to accept my new role as HSE officer within St Johns Ship Building,” said Nelson, who has more than a decade of service with the Palatka, Fla., shipyard, most recently serving as yard safety manager.
“I expect to participate in an increased effort to protect our employees from the hazards of the industry by implementing additional new policies and procedures as well as increased oversight and training,” said Nelson. “As we continue to grow as a company, so will our efforts and commitment to protect our employees and our environment. Just as we care for the well-being of our employees and their families, we are also making strides to protect our planet.”
Current HSE initiatives at St. Johns Ship Building include partnering with Green Marine and using its established blueprint for working towards goals that will reduce the shipyard’s carbon footprint. As a partner with Green Marine, the yard will not only be addressing many environmental challenges related to shipbuilding and ship repair, but will also begin working directly within itscommunity to form relationships with local organizations, NGOs, and other outreach programs.
“The creation of this new HSE position within our shipyard facility will allow our company to better prioritize our goals of environmental stewardship as well as focusing more resources towards the increased health and safety of our employees”, said Ed Sheets, executive vice president at the yard’s parent Americraft Marine Group, a maritime subsidiary of the privately-owned Libra Group, which acquired the yard in June last year.
