Find Out What is Considered a “Navigable Waterway” Under the LHWCA

The Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act (LHWCA) allows injured workers to obtain compensation from their employers.  These are injuries that have occurred on the job or in connection with a vessel on a navigable U.S. waterway.   Longshoremen, shipbuilders, ship repairers, harbor workers and ship breakers are among the employees covered under the LHWCA.

This law is supposed to provide coverage for workers who are not considered seamen under the Jones Act, which is a federal law that protects maritime workers.  It is important to mention that the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act is a workers’ compensation program, meaning that a worker does not have to prove that the employer was negligent in order to collect compensation.

The question that many people have is – what is considered a navigable waterway?  The law has been interpreted navigable waterways to include adjoining areas, such as piers, wharves and docks, which are regularly used in building or repairing a vessel, or loading or unloading.

The LHWCA provides injured workers with the ability to have their medical expenses paid, in connection with their injury.  They are also entitled to compensation for lost wages that incurred while they were recovering and not able to work.

If are a longshoreman who has been injured at work, we can help you recover compensation for your injuries.  Contact a maritime attorney from our office at 713.224.7800 or 877.724.7800.