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The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited a Jeffersonville, Indiana facility after a worker was killed in August of 2011, according to the Courrier-Journal.com. The citations issued following the recent inspecting bring the total amount of OSHA penalties against Jeffboat, an Indiana ship building company, to 46 since May of 2010.
54-year-old Steven Duncan died at the facility in August when a transfer car he was working underneath activated, raising him on its hydraulic jack and crushing him against a barge. OSHA issued Jeffboat nine violations, including failure to implement lockout procedures, failure to train employees to operate and work safely around transfer cars, and failure to ensure electrical outlets are deactivated before employees work on them.
“Jeffboat has a responsibility to ensure that its employees are properly protected from known workplace hazards,” said Indianapolis Regional Director Ken Gilbert. “Failing to ensure workers’ safety and health through appropriate equipment maintenance, training and adherence to OSHA regulations demonstrates a lack of regard for employees and well-being.”
Some of the citations were listed as “willful,” meaning that Jeffboat was aware of the safety hazards and chose to not address them. Kim Durbin, CEO for American Commercial Lines Inc., Jeffboat’s parent company, says they plan to review and possibly appeal the citations.
“Jeffboat is fully committed to protecting the health and safety of our employees,” said Durbin.
Willful violations are inexcusable, especially for a company with high-risk occupations such as Jeffboat.
Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus workers comp attorneys.