Damaged electrical junction boxes, failure to provide employees fall protection systems and gaping open manholes on decks – these and several more serious health and safety hazards led to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration citing a Texas-based ship builder this week.
According to the OSHA website, Channelview-based Sneed Shipbuilding has been cited for several violations. OSHA’s Houston office began investigations of Sneed Shipbuilding for structural deficiencies on crawler cranes that the company operated. The investigators also found dangerous electrical hazards strewn around the workplace. There were damaged junction boxes that were left open, and workers were using damaged welding leads.
Other violations included failure to provide employees fall protection systems and failure to cover open manholes on the deck. There were no fire extinguishers in areas used for the storage of flammable materials and solvents. OSHA also found that grinders did not come with guards on them. The agency also found form keeping violations, including failure to maintain the required Summary of Work-Related Injuries And Illnesses form. OSHA found that there was no respiratory protection program in place to protect workers from inhalation hazards. In all, the agency issued 19 serious citations, and Sneed Shipbuilding has 15 working days to either comply or appeal the citations.
Workers who work in shipyards or the ship building industry must keep their eyes open for any safety or health hazards. If you are a worker in the ship building industry in Houston or around Texas, and have a question about health and safety standards in your work environment, contact OSHA’s Houston North area office at 281 591 2438. You can also call the OSHA Hotline at 800 321 6742.
It’s important that workers know that dangerous conditions in the workplace don’t have to exist.
The maritime lawyers at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P. represent injured longshoremen, dockworkers, shipyard workers, shipbuilding workers, crane operators and other maritime workers who are covered under the LHWCA.
