PANAMA CITY − A local shipbuilder continues to make an industrywide name for itself.
According to a May 18 news release, Eastern Shipbuilding Group was selected to receive the Shipbuilders Council of America’s 2026 Improvement in Safety award for the Panama City-based company’s efforts during the 2025 calendar year.
“Safety is a core value at ESG and a daily responsibility shared by every member of our team,” Joey D’Isernia, CEO of Eastern Shipbuilding, said in the release. “Last year, we achieved the best DART rating in company history, surpassing an already stellar performance from previous years. Receiving the Shipbuilders Council of America’s award is further affirmation of our commitment to maintaining a safe workplace and a meaningful recognition of our employees’ collective efforts.”
A DART safety rating measures how often serious workplace injuries happen. The SCA safety award is designed to recognize a shipyard’s dedication to maintaining a safe environment, as well as operational excellence.
The release notes there continues to be a steady decline in recordable injuries every year across the entire shipbuilding industry. This not only has better protected workers, but it also has helped shipyards adapt to any industry challenges thrown their way.
To be eligible for SCA safety awards, shipyards must submit injury and illness surveys for all four quarters of the year, report no fatalities for the year, and either maintain an incident rate below the SCA average or have an incident-rate reduction of at least 10%.
“Year over year, improvement in safety performance reflects a deeper cultural strength without our industry,” Matthew Paxton, president of SCA, said in the release. “What we are seeing from shipyards like Eastern Shipbuilding Group is not just compliance, but continuous refinement in how they protect and support their workforce.
“Their efforts demonstrate how a proactive approach to safety can strengthen operations and better protect the workforce.”
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Eastern Shipbuilding in Panama City receives national safety award
Reporting by Nathan Cobb, Panama City News Herald / The News Herald
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