Post by ferryfast admin on Aug 27, 2011 15:45:10 GMT -5
Jeffboat conducting review after third fatality in 16 months
(FerryFast Admin. Note > Thought this was worth
posting in re: fast ferry shipyards' safety programs)
ACL: Shipyard has low injury rate despite 36 violations in 2010
By MATT THACKER Matt.Thacker@newsandtribune.com
The News and Tribune
Aug 25, 2011, 02:50 AM EDT
JEFFERSONVILLE — Jeffboat management and union employees began a facility-wide review of equipment and processes at the shipyard Monday in response to last week’s fatality, said Kim Durbin, manager of corporate communications for American Commercial Lines.
Steve Duncan, 54, of Pekin, had been an electrician at Jeffboat for 11 years when he was crushed to death between a barge and piece of equipment Friday morning. Clark County Coroner Edwin “Huck” Coots said he died from compressional asphyxia and blunt-force injuries. Duncan was working on a machine called a buggy, which has a hydraulic lift, when it moved and pinned him against the barge.
Durbin said the accident remains under investigation, and no other information was available. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration also had an investigator at the facility Friday but released no new information this week.
“Last week’s accident was a terrible tragedy, and we are dedicated to doing everything we can to prevent future accidents,” Durbin said.
Duncan’s death is the third fatality at Jeffboat in less than 16 months.
Robert E. Harrison Jr., 50, of Louisville, and Kent “David” Martin, 44, of Corydon, both longtime Jeffboat employees, died in separate incidents in May 2010.
According to an OSHA report, on May 10, Harrison was carrying a welding feeder case on the port side of a barge when he lost hold of the case. Trying to keep the case from falling, he grabbed the whipline and was pulled between the rails.
On May 14, Martin was at the top of a ladder with a broom in one hand cleaning a barge. When his other hand let go of the ladder, he fell back and struck a concrete structure.
Following the first incident, OSHA cited Jeffboat for a repeat housekeeping violation and not guarding deck openings and edges. They were fined $42,000, which was reduced to $17,000. After the second incident, Jeffboat was fined $5,000 for not following general precautions.
A week later, OSHA conducted a full inspection of the shipyard and found 33 violations and fined the company $55,905. Upon settlement of the case, the number of violations was reduced to 31 and the fine was lowered to $53,155.
From 2007 through 2009, Jeffboat was cited for 16 violations and had to pay more than $22,000 in fines based on one inspection and three complaints.
A review of online records available through the U.S. Department of Labor showed that OSHA has completed nearly 2,000 inspections in Indiana since the beginning of 2010. Only one other company, a military vehicle manufacturer in northern Indiana, was cited for more violations after an inspection.
Of the more than 500 inspections at boat and shipbuilding facilities throughout the United States since 2009, only one other company had more violations.
“Our goal is perfection, which we continuously strive for in this complex manufacturing environment,” Durbin said. “To the extent that OSHA has identified issues in the past, we have taken immediate and forceful steps to take corrective actions and make improvements, which have resulted in an industry leading safety record and consistent decreases in injuries every year since 2004.”
Durbin said Jeffboat’s incident rate is less than half the national average for shipyards. According to figures she provided, Jeffboat’s year-to-date incident rate is 3.15, representing the number of injuries requiring time off from work per 100 full-time employees. She said the national average for shipyards is 8.0.
It may take months before OSHA decides whether to issue any new violations.