Employee crushed to death by 2 tons of cargo while aboard a ship in Florida, feds say
.jpg "An employee was crushed to death by two tons of cargo aboard a ship in Panama City, Florida, feds say.")
An employee aboard a ship in Florida was killed when the vessel swayed with the waves and two tons of cargo crushed him against a wall as it shifted, federal officials said.
Three co-workers were loading five heavy rolls of paper, about 7 feet tall, from a pier into the M/V Weserborg’s cargo hold with a crane when the tragedy occurred Sept. 11, 2022, in Panama City, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
An Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation revealed the worker operating the crane didn’t have a clear view of the employees in the cargo hold at the time, officials said.
The 28-year-old’s death may have been preventable if his employer, Premier Bulk Stevedoring LLC, a marine cargo contractor based in Mobile, Alabama, followed federal safety regulations, according to the DOL.
OSHA cited the company for two serious safety violations and one repeat violation, the DOL announced in a March 10 news release.
The company declined a request for comment from McClatchy News on March 13.
“Less than two years ago, OSHA cited Premier Bulk Stevedoring for unsafe loading operations and our investigation into this tragic September 2022 fatality found the company again operating in a dangerous manner,” Jose Gonzalez, the OSHA area office director in Mobile, said in a statement.
“Their failure to follow established safety procedures caused a young worker to needlessly lose their life.”
OSHA inspectors learned the company didn’t ensure the crane operator could see the signalman who was guiding the two tons of paper cargo into the ship, officials said.
In December 2020, the company was cited over a similar violation, according to the release.
OSHA inspectors also cited the company in connection with the worker’s death because it found its cargo-handling supervisors didn’t complete a required accident prevention course, officials said.
Premier Bulk Stevedoring LLC has 15 days after receiving the citations to comply and pay the proposed $43,750 in penalties, request an informal conference with OSHA or contest the agency’s findings, according to the release.
This story was originally published March 13, 2023 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Employee crushed to death by 2 tons of cargo while aboard a ship in Florida, feds say."
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