US regulators have penalised an Alabama stevedore company after one of its workers was killed on a general cargo ship last year.
The Department of Labor said it had issued multiple citations to Premier Bulk Stevedoring and was pursuing a $43,750 fine after a 28-year-old worker guiding the crane was crushed in one of the 9,278-dwt Weserborg (built 2011) cargo holds in September 2020.
The department said the Wagenborg Shipping-managed vessel was loading seven-foot-long rolls of paper at Panama City, Florida, when the ship pitched and the load struck the worker, pinning the worker to the wall.
Premier Bulk was cited for one repeat violation and two serious violations related to failing to follow required safety standards, allowing unsafe operation of cargo cranes and not providing training.
The Department of Labor and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) said the company had been cited for a December 2020 incident, for which it was fined $4,681.
In both cases, crane operators and guides were not in each other’s line of sight.
“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,” said Alabama-based labour department official Jose Gonzalez.
“Their failure to follow established safety procedures caused a young worker to needlessly lose their life.”
Premier Bulk declined to comment when reached by TradeWinds.
Netherlands-based Wagenborg has been approached for comment after business hours.
The Labor Department said Premier Bulk has 15 days from the receipt of the citations and penalty to comply, request an informal conference or contest the findings before an independent commission.
