Longshoreman Accidents and Safety in American Shipyards

Have you been injured working in a shipyard? You certainly are not alone. Shipyard work is known to be dangerous for many reasons. Each year longshoremen and other maritime workers are injured and killed on the job.

As maritime accident attorneys, we see many of these shipyard accidents each year. The owners of these workplaces frequently let safety regulations go by the wayside. This negligence makes them responsible for any injuries that occur. As a result, many workers or their families choose to file a maritime lawsuit.

In May 2011, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released updated safety rules for shipyard employees. Despite these new guidelines, disabling and fatal accidents continue to take place.

Dangerous Method Leads to Worker Injury

One such accident reached the New Orleans federal court just this month. A Louisiana shipyard worker has filed suit against his employer for an on-the-job injury. Tyrone Wilson suffered injuries to his hands and wrists while working for Kirby Corporation. The injury occurred as Wilson was trying to remove a frozen test rod from a steel shaft assembly. He alleges that he was ordered to pull on the test rod with a pair of pliers while another worker heated the steel shaft. He protested that the procedure was dangerous, but was instructed to continue. The rod then exploded out of the shaft, causing his injury.

Most Deadly Shipyard

One shipyard in particular has earned a reputation for safety violations. The Jeffboat facility is located on the Ohio River in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Owned by American Commercial Lines, the shipyard has seen three employees killed within a 16 month time frame. These deaths gave Jeffboat the highest fatality record of all the shipyards under OSHA’s jurisdiction.

Two of the three deaths at this site occurred in May of 2010. One man died when a piece of equipment he was welding fell off the deck, pulling him with it to the pavement below. A second worker died just one week later when he fell from a ladder while carrying several pieces of equipment in his hands. This practice violated many safety regulations.

The third tragedy occurred in August of 2011 when a Jeffboat worker was killed while repairing a machine called a “buggy”. Reportedly, it was accidentally activated and raised him up, crushing him against a barge.

Warning After Warning

For years prior to these three Jeffboat deaths, OSHA issued repeated citations. And in the inspections that took place as a result of these tragedies, even more violations were enforced. Take a look at Jeffboat’s record:

• 2007 through 2009 - Jeffboat was cited four times for a total of 16 violations.
• 2010 - The company was put into OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
• May 2010 – A general inspection following the first two deaths ended in 33 safety citations and many fines.

Shipyard Safety Cannot Be Ignored

These fatal accidents and many other disabling injuries remind us all that safety should be the first priority of every maritime employer. Yet OSHA continues to uncover safety violations in shipyards around the nation.

If you or a family member has been injured or killed in a shipyard accident, there is help. The maritime accident attorneys at Vujasinovic & Beckcom represent families throughout the United States. Call us toll-free at 877-724-7800 or 888-472-1440 for a free consultation.