Shipyard Accidents

Over $1 Billion Recovered for Maritime Accident Victims. We are proud to have a reputation for aggressively fighting for the rights of injured workers.

Shipyard Work Safety

Maritime industry employers are required by law to maintain a safe working environment for their employees. When they fail to provide their employees with the proper training or safety equipment, or when they fail to properly maintain their facilities and equipment, accidents can happen and workers can get hurt or even killed.

This is especially true when it comes to shipyard work. Working in a shipyard has always been a hazardous occupation. According to OSHA, shipyard work has an injury-accident rate twice that of other construction and general industry work.

Shipyard Work

Shipyard work involves the manufacture, repair, maintenance, and dismantling of watercraft of all types. There are four main areas of  shipyard work:

Drillship Electrician Injured Lifting Heavy Equipment
shipbuilding

This includes constructing, assembling, installing, cleaning, painting, outfitting, and testing ships.

ship repair

This includes alterations, conversions, installations, cleaning, painting, and maintenance work to vessels.

Common Causes of Fires Aboard Container Ships
ship breaking

This involves breaking down a vessel’s structure for the purpose of scrapping the vessel.

Crane Barge Vessel
barge cleaning

Cleaning the holds of barges between transporting different cargoes.

Shipyard work often involves work in confined or enclosed spaces, hot work, electrical work, mechanical work, scaffolding and ladder work, cleaning work, surface preparation, painting, etc. And shipyard work isn’t necessarily limited to shipyard facilities; shipyard work can take place on or offshore: a pier, a riverbank, a beach, a marina, a terminal, a machine shop, etc. 

If you’ve been injured in a shipyard accident that was caused by the negligent acts of a co-worker or employer, maritime law gives you the right to seek compensation for the damages caused by your injuries. To find out how to obtain this compensation, contact the Louisiana shipyard accident lawyers of Lambert Zainey Smith & Soso at (877) 299-5539. We’ve been providing outstanding legal services to injured shipyard workers all over the nation for nearly fifty years.


Companies We’ve Fought Against

Lambert Zainey has obtained recoveries from a long list of maritime companies, including some of the biggest names in the industry.

Common Shipyard Accidents

Depending on the job, a shipyard worker can be exposed to many potentially hazardous conditions or situations during the course of their shift. These include:

  • Chemical hazardssuch aspaints, solvents, fuels, surface treatments, asbestos, and fumigants.
  • Physical hazards, such as excessive noise, heat and cold stress, vibrations, and radiation.
  • Safety hazards, such as spills, blocked walkways, fires, poor lighting, and poorly maintained or defective equipment.

These hazards can cause all kinds of shipyard injury accidents:

  • Slip and fall accidents
  • Forklift accidents
  • Falling object accidents
  • Hazardous material accidents
  • Heavy machinery accidents
  • Ladder accidents
  • Confined spaces accidents
  • Crane accidents
  • Fires and explosions
  • Electrical accidents
  • Water-related accidents
  • Hypothermia or Hyperthermia

Compensation for Shipyard Accident Injuries

Injuries That Can Result From a Shipyard Accident

Shipyard accidents often cause serious, even fatal injuries to shipyard workers:

  • Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
  • Soft tissue and organ injuries
  • Head, neck, and back injuries
  • Bone fractures
  • Eye and ear injuries
  • Hypothermia
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Nerve damage
  • Drowning
  • Crush injuries
  • Disfigurement
  • Chemical poisoning
  • Burns
  • Amputation
case results

Over $1 Billion Recovered for Maritime Accident Victims

see all case results
Murphy Oil Spill
$330 MILLION SETTLEMENT

Oil storage tank rupture at the Murphy Oil USA refinery in Chalmette, LA. The fastest class certification and resolution of a case of its type and magnitude to date.

ARCO Explosion
SETTLED IN ONLY 12 MONTHS

Arco cryogenic platform explosion caused by improper cold cut of Southern Natural Gas pipeline. Settlement for the injured and deceased in approximately twelve months.

Speak to Louisiana Shipyard Accident Lawyers at Lambert Zainey Smith & Soso

Choosing the right law firm to represent your legal interests could be the most important decision you’ll ever make. The New Orleans-based maritime attorneys at Lambert Zainey Smith & Soso have represented injured shipyard workers since the 1970s. With almost half a century of experience, our team of leading Louisiana shipyard accident lawyers understands the ins and outs of the maritime industry as well as the laws that govern maritime employers and employees in a way few attorneys do. Our experience and skills have enabled us to obtain over a billion dollars in settlements for our clients.

If you’ve been injured in a shipyard accident in Louisiana or anywhere in the U.S., you only have a limited time in which to act. Contact the law offices of Lambert Zainey Smith & Soso through our website or call us at (877) 299-5539 to schedule a free initial consultation.


Recent News

What Our Clients’ Say About Us

NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ATTORNEYS

CONTACT US

Our experienced attorneys are here to guide you through every step of the process, from initial consultation to settlement or trial.

Free Case Review

"*" indicates required fields

Fill out the form below to contact Lambert Zainey and schedule a free, confidential consultation and discuss your case with an experienced attorney.
Fields with (*) are required.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.