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:
- 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.
- Shipbreaking: This involves breaking down a vessel’s structure for the purpose of scrapping the 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.
Over $1 Billion Recovered For Our Injured Clients
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 hazards, such as paints, 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
Injuries That Can Result From a Shipyard Accident
Shipyard accidents often cause serious, even fatal injuries to shipyard workers:
- Bone fractures
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head, neck, and back injuries
- Soft tissue and organ injuries
- Eye and ear injuries
- Nerve damage
- Crush injuries
- Burns
- Disfigurement
- Amputation
- Hypothermia
- Hyperthermia
- Drowning
- Chemical poisoning
Compensation for Shipyard Accident Injuries
Many of these injuries leave a shipyard worker unable to work and earn an income. This can make it difficult, if not impossible, for them to pay their medical bills, let alone rent, food, utilities, etc. Depending on the extent of their injuries, a disabled shipyard worker may never be able to return to their former job and/or require ongoing medical treatment.
The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA), and other maritime laws give injured shipyard workers the right to seek compensation for the damages caused by their work-related injuries. However, obtaining compensation is often a challenge. Maritime laws are complicated and negligent employers are often reluctant to pay for the total cost of an employee’s injuries. Most injured shipyard workers hire a maritime injury attorney to ensure they get the total compensation they are due for the damages resulting from their injuries.
NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ATTORNEYS
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.