Working around water always carries risks, and they multiply when ship loading and unloading is part of your job. Whether your maritime job involves loading and unloading cargo ships or container ships, you’re working with heavy loads and major equipment.
If you’ve been injured on the job already or are worried about the potential for injuries or even death, here’s what you should consider when it comes to your legal rights.
Dangers of Loading and Unloading Cargo Ships
Any time you work with major equipment and heavy cargo, there’s potential for disaster. In particular, when your job involves loading and unloading container ships, there’s a risk of injury or death. If you use a crane for ship loading and unloading, you could be involved in a moving collision, or the crane could drop heavy cargo on you.
Even if you don’t use cranes, you could get hurt unloading or loading cargo ships by hand. Carrying heavy boxes can damage your joints, neck, and back, and you could get cuts and broken bones if you fall while carrying cargo. The risk of getting knocked into the water and drowning is also very real. If you have been injured, you need to contact Richard Schechter, a Houston maritime/Jones Act lawyer who is ready to let you know your rights after being injured at work.
Examples of Ship Loading and Unloading Accidents
There are several ways to get injured while loading and unloading cargo ships, and many of them involve negligence on the part of the employer or a co-worker.
For example, in one case, maritime workers were loading a ship with heavy rolls of paper pulp. One of the workers was using a truck to bring the rolls to the crane to be lifted onto the ship. He stopped to fix a damaged roll, leaving the other rolls not suitably secured, at which point one of the rolls fell off the truck and killed him.
Another example of unloading and loading cargo ships gone wrong involves a worker who was hit and killed by a truck in a busy port. It’s not clear how he ended up in front of the moving truck, but this demonstrates how dangerous the port can be when loading and unloading cargo ships.
If you or a loved one have experienced a similar accident, contact The Law Office of Richard Schechter, P.C. today.
Examples of Crane Disasters While Loading and Unloading Container Ships
If you use a crane for loading and unloading container ships, you’re at risk of experiencing a number of crane disasters. For instance, a maritime worker was killed when a piece of machinery fell on him as a crane was placing it on a ship. His co-workers had been removing some parts from it while it hung in the air over him — an unsafe move that cost a man his life.
In another example of crane disasters, maritime workers were using a crane to remove metal bars from a ship, but they hadn’t secured the cargo sufficiently. As the crane swung toward the pier, a metal bar fell and hit a worker, killing him. Clearly, these maritime workers were not practicing proper safety precautions.
Rights of Maritime Workers After Ship Loading Injuries
As a maritime worker, making safety your priority can help you feel safer at work, but that won’t help much if your co-workers don’t take the same precautions. If you were injured at work and you feel that negligence played a part, you have a right to seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. Similarly, if your loved one was killed on the job, you may be able to get compensation for medical expenses, funeral costs, and more.
To find out if you have a strong case, contact the Law Office of Richard Schechter, P.C. today for a free consultation.
