If you’ve ever worked in a harbor, you know that it can be very dangerous if safety protocols aren’t followed. Boats and machinery move around the harbor, and floating platforms and other structures are held in place but still shift with the currents. Buoys are used to prevent boats from coming too close to certain areas and to provide the captains with information on how to proceed into the area.
Working in a harbor can be dangerous because of the exposure to all these constantly changing elements. One business from Maryland and another from Hawaii have seen how quickly injuries can be caused when even one safety protocol isn’t followed on the job. Truston Technologies, a company based in Maryland, and Healy Tibbits, which is based in Hawaii, had been working on a federal contract in Pearl Harbor when two workers were killed.
According to the news report, the workers were killed due to the companies’ lack of safety when it came to the weight of loads on a wire rope sling. The companies allowed loads to exceed the maximum working limits. At the time of the accident, the two workers had been repairing some moorings when a buoy dropped from a chain above the men. The buoy dropped around 75 feet before striking the men.
The U.S. Department of Labor reviewed the incident and fined the companies $46,000 for safety violations. No one else was hurt, according to the news, but there was no information on the steps the companies took to reduce the risk of injuries in the future.
Source: Construction Equipment Guide, “Contractors Face Fines After Pearl Harbor Accident Kills 2,” June 12, 2015
