Jeffrey Jernigan
EHS Professional
Buford,United States
Summary
Professional with strong focus on Environmental, Health, and Safety management. Proven ability to develop and implement EHS programs, ensuring compliance with regulations and promoting safe work environment. Known for fostering team collaboration and driving results, adaptable to changing needs. Skilled in risk assessment, incident investigation, and regulatory reporting. Valued for reliability, effective communication, and leadership.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Regional EHS Manager (Atlanta Region)
MEI Industrial Solutions
06.2023 - Current
- Currently serving as the Regional EHS Manager with 220+ employees. Delivered key strategic programs to drive EHS initiatives across the country for Project Management and DOT compliance. Direct daily mentoring and coaching for field operations staff and support/control departments. Delivered data to executive C-Suite of KPI's to streamline operations in the Southeast Region.
- ISN Network administrator
- Avetta Coordinator
- Led incident investigations to identify root causes and develop corrective action plans.
- Conducted risk assessments to evaluate workplace hazards and recommended mitigation strategies.
- Served as a trusted advisor on EHS matters to senior management, providing valuable input into strategic decision-making processes.
- Developed and implemented training programs to enhance employee awareness of EHS policies and procedures.
- Conducted regular safety inspections and audits to identify potential hazards and ensure compliance with regulations.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to establish a culture of safety across all levels of the organization.
- Managed the development and execution of emergency response plans for various operational scenarios.
- Developed and managed EHS strategies for a diverse workforce of over 220 employees across five states.
- Developed risk assessment matrices and templates to increase visibility of risks and facilitate decision making.
- Offered consultation on re-engineering techniques to improve process performance and product quality.
- Increased operational efficiency, streamlining risk management processes and procedures.
- Contributed to continuous improvement initiatives, identifying opportunities for enhancing existing risk management frameworks and tools.
EHS Manager
Kik Consumer Products
02.2022 - 06.2023
- Position was responsible for Direct Report(s).
- Maintained a rigorous training program for 480 employees covering safety policies, security procedures, emergency response team preparedness and DOT HAZMAT regulatory requirements.
- Served as the primary project manager for all CAPEX projects which entailed $2.5 million dollars for environmental and safety changes.
- Served as the facility SME for all SWPPP, Hazardous Waste (LQG), air permitting.
- Conducted thorough accident investigations to identify root causes and prevent future occurrences.
- Collaborated with management to develop company-wide safety policies, procedures, and guidelines.
- Reduced environmental impact by implementing sustainable waste management and pollution control practices.
- Developed and enforced strict safety protocols, significantly lowering number of workplace accidents.
- Collaborated with HR to integrate safety considerations into employee onboarding and continuous education.
- Provided new-employee health and safety orientations and developed materials for presentations.
- Devised and monitored safety performance metrics to assess and improve safety performance.
- Educated employees on hazardous waste management, emergency response and safe work practices.
- Identified accident causes and optimal prevention strategies by conducting thorough investigations and analyses.
Director of Safety and Compliance
Barber and Associates, Inc.
04.2019 - 12.2021
- Senior member of multi-discipline leadership team.
- Reviewed and approved safety-related vendor contracts, ensuring alignment with organizational safety standards and compliance.
- Managed safety-related budgets effectively to optimize resource allocation while ensuring comprehensive safety program delivery.
- Maintained constant working relationship with all federal (OSHA, DOT, EPA), state (DEP, workers compensation) and local (COJ Fire Marshal) government agencies to ensure compliance is met and permitting.
- Serves as senior Competent Person for all evolution's
- Workers Compensation Representative
- Physical Security
- Incident Investigation / Risk Management
- Project Management for multi-year projects.
- Preventative Maintenance Manager
- Drug and Alcohol-Free Workplace Coordinator
- Authorized Trainer (OSHA / DOT HAZMAT / PIT / CPR, AED, First Aid)
Food Safety HESS Manager
Shaw's Southern Belle Frozen Foods
06.2017 - 04.2019
- Process Safety Coordinator for a refrigeration plant which utilized over 30,000 lbs. of Anhydrous Ammonia in a 125,000 square foot facility. Worked closely with federal, state, and local agencies to ensure compliance on all facets of environmental and safety were maintained.
- Process Safety Management Coordinator maintained Tier-II reporting.
- Liaison between facility and Department of Homeland Security for security protocols regarding NH3.
- Championed employee wellness initiatives that contributed to improved overall well-being of the workforce while reducing healthcare costs for the company.
- Led cross-departmental safety committees to foster communication and collaboration on EHS issues, driving continuous improvement efforts.
- Streamlined recordkeeping processes by developing an efficient electronic system for tracking injuries, illnesses, and other safety-related data.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to integrate safety considerations into project planning and execution processes.
- Workers Compensation Representative (provider FFVA)
- Storm water pollution prevention (SWPPP)
- Incident Investigation / Risk Management
- Preventative Maintenance Manager
- Reduced accident rates through proactive hazard identification, analysis, and mitigation strategies.
- Orchestrated successful certification of company under recognized safety management standards.
Education
Occupational Safety and Health (Bachelors) - Occupational Safety And Health
Columbia Southern University
Orange Beach, AL06-2026
General Studies (Associate) - undefined
Central Texas College
Killeen, TX05.2005
No Degree - OSHA #500 Authorized Outreach Trainer
NC State University
Raleigh, NC04-2025
No Degree - OSHA #501 Authorized Outreach Trainer
NC State University
Raleigh, NC03-2025
Certification - Associate in Risk Management
The Institutes
Malvern, PA04-2026
Skills
- Industrial hygiene risk assessments
- Public speaking
- Technical report writing
- Risk management
- Continuous improvement
- Supplier management
- Preliminary hazard analysis (PHA)
- Regulatory compliance management
- Vendor relationship management
- Inspection reporting and documentation
- Occupational health & safety
- Substance abuse
- Employee health (regulatory compliance standards)
- Policy & process development
- Safety regulations
- Environmental law compliance support
- Safety inspections for hazard identification
- Incident Investigation
- Computer literacy
- CMMS
- EPA
- Preventative hardware maintenance
- HAZOP
- Occupational safety audits
- Data interpretation
- Record keeping
- Accident reconstruction
- Operating systems
- Occupational health and safety trainer experience
- Lean
- Hazard mitigation
- ISO 14000 family
- Change management
- Management
- Data center experience
- Workers' compensation
- Computer operation
- Physical evidence examination for accident investigation
- Construction management
- Evacuation procedures
- Developing emergency response plans - Emergency response plans developed (More than 10 plans)
- Witness interviews for accident investigation
- Emergency communication
- Thermal comfort assessments
- Managing occupational health & safety teams
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) selection
- Workplace health and safety regulatory compliance
- SWPPP
- Consulting experience
- Analysis skills
- Hazardous material storage
- EHS
- FDA regulations
- DOT (Department of Transportation) regulations
- Maintenance management
- Compliance audits & assessments
- Data analysis skills
- Safety management experience within construction industry
- Computer skills
- Technical Proficiency
- Manufacturing facility
- Data reporting
- Health and safety training programs
- Hazardous materials incident response
- Exposure monitoring
- Forklift
- Cloud-based systems
- Occupational safety policy development
- Loss prevention
- Occupational safety risk assessments
- Ergonomic assessments
- Environmental issues
- Administrative experience
- Hazard identification
- CPR
- Occupational safety technician experience
- Occupational health
- Data entry
- Team management
- Regulatory reporting
- Rigging
- Hazardous materials regulations
- Power BI
- Food safety management
- Permit-to-work system implementation
- SharePoint
- Environmental regulatory compliance
- Budgeting
- Environmental permitting
- Occupational health and safety coordinator experience
- ProCore
- Microsoft Office
- Clean workspace maintenance
- Checklist analysis for hazard identification
- Research
- Staff training
- Project management
- Microsoft Project
- Mergers & acquisitions
- Writing skills
- Lean manufacturing
- 5S
- Productivity software
- Time management
- Occupational safety metrics reporting
- Occupational health and safety manager experience
- Training & development
- Consulting firm experience
- Industrial hygiene
- Compliance management implementation
- Workplace incident investigation management
- Contractor management
- Public safety experience within manufacturing industry
- Data analytics
- Environmental compliance
- Waste management
- Medical management
- Near miss reporting
- What-if analysis
- Data analysis for accident investigation
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) implementation
- HSE advisor experience
- Ventilation system implementation for hazard control
- Microsoft Word
- Safety management within government sector
- Incident response (Crisis management methodologies)
- Corporate training teaching experience
- Incident reports for accident investigation
- Outdoor work
- Word processing
- Leadership
- Occupational health expertise
- Facilities management
- Safety management experience within manufacturing industry
- Performance dashboard reports
- Resource Conservation And Recovery Act
- Materials handling
- LOTO
- Succession planning
- Process management
- Emergency workplace safety response planning
- Regulatory compliance
- Regulatory/legal compliance standards in production
- Manufacturing
- Distribution center
- Air permitting
- Organizational skills
- Facility security systems
- Crane operation
- Workers' compensation claims
- Excel data analysis
- Program Management
- EHS specialist experience
- Hazardous material handling
- Strategic Planning
- 5 Whys
- Construction workplace safety regulations
- Heavy equipment operation
- Spill response
- Safe work practices
- Fire suppression
- Safety management within healthcare industry
- Classroom experience
- Machine guarding
- Air quality monitoring
- Process improvement
- Occupational safety auditor experience
- Environmental health
- Environmental health officer experience
- Root cause analysis
- Microsoft Access
- Communication skills
- Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure
- Safety audits for hazard identification
- Windows
- Developing new training programs
- Construction management software
- Food industry
- ISO 9001
- Project management software
- OSHA
- Microsoft Outlook
- Workers' compensation law
- LMS
- Employee orientation
- Safety training implementation
- Food processing
- Senior leadership
- Data collection
- First aid and CPR
- First aid
- Customer service
- Microsoft Powerpoint
- Health surveillance
- Data-driven decision making
- Noise monitoring
- Manufacturing company experience
- Industrial hygiene sampling
- Occupational safety regulation compliance
- Job safety analysis (JSA)
- FMEA
- Climbing
- Occupational safety committee coordination
- ISO standards
- Hazard analysis
- Electrical safety
- Lockout and tagout procedures
- Incident investigation
- Chemical handling
- Safety auditing
- Accident prevention
- Crane safety
- Environmental management
- Hazardous materials
- Permitting process
- Teamwork
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Problem-solving
- Reliability
- Excellent communication
- Critical thinking
- Safety program development
- Emergency response plans
- Effective communication
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Decision-making
- Risk assessment
- Professionalism
Affiliations
- American Society of Safety Professionals
Certification
- NCDOL MESH Present
- FMSHA Hazmat Trainer Present
- OSHA #502 March 2025 to March 2029
- OSHA #503 February 2025 to February 2029
- CPR Trainer June 2026
- OSHA 501 April 2025
- OSHA 500 March 2025
- First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor Certification
- Forklift Certification
- Non-CDL Class C
- First Aid Certification
- AED Certification
- CPR Certification
- Hazardous Waste Operations & Emergency Response Training
- EPA Certification
Timeline
Regional EHS Manager (Atlanta Region)
MEI Industrial Solutions
06.2023 - Current
EHS Manager
Kik Consumer Products
02.2022 - 06.2023
Director of Safety and Compliance
Barber and Associates, Inc.
04.2019 - 12.2021
Food Safety HESS Manager
Shaw's Southern Belle Frozen Foods
06.2017 - 04.2019
General Studies (Associate) - undefined
Central Texas College
Occupational Safety and Health (Bachelors) - Occupational Safety And Health
Columbia Southern University
No Degree - OSHA #500 Authorized Outreach Trainer
NC State University
No Degree - OSHA #501 Authorized Outreach Trainer
NC State University
Certification - Associate in Risk Management
The Institutes
Military Service
- Branch: United States Navy
- Service Country: United States
- Rank: E7
- September 1995 to October 2015