ILA Checker Fatally Injured In Dockside Backover Accident [Houston, TX – 23 August 2017]

ILA Checker Fatally Injured In Dockside Backover Accident [Houston, TX – 23 August 2017]

Posted by on Aug 24, 2017 in Bulletins

ILA Checker Fatally Injured In Dockside Backover Accident  [Houston, TX – 23 August 2017]

Media reports in relation to this accident are as yet non-existent (not unusual for Houston). Through friends on the ground there, however, we are able to relate the following:

Yesterday afternoon, 25 year oldĀ Christian D. Fitzgerald was serving as a hatch checker working against the discharge of steel coils coming from number 3 hatch of the M/V SLUISGRACHT (See photo below) which was in a berth at the Turning Basin’s City Dock 29. He and fellow checkers were using a 20′ personnel lifting platform (a safety cage) as a protected “home base”, as they sorted and routed the cargo being discharged to awaiting draymen. A photo of that lifting platform also appears below.

During the course of handling one 4,000 pound coil that had been discharged to the dock, a lift truck (a 25 Ton capacity stacker) apparently reversed to his left using a sharp radius and backed over Mr. Fitzgerald. The injuries were devastating. We understanding that an over-the-road trucker was standing immediately next to Mr. Fitzgerald, was also struck and just barely escaped serious injury. It’s our understanding that both Mr. Fitzgerald and the trucker had their backs at least partially turned away from that particular lift truck’s movements.

Initial reports from other personnel working in the dockside operation seem to indicate that they were not aware of any backup alarm presence. That would not be unusual, in that after a period of time working in an environment rich with backup alarms the human brain often tends to naturally “turn off” that distraction. While they’re useful, relying upon backup alarms exclusively is not a god idea in any event.

Nonetheless, we await the results of accident investigations being conducted by the stevedoring firm (a joint venture between Cooper T. Smith and Ports America), the ILA [who immediately dispatched a safety representative to Houston] and OSHA).

What we do know, is that industrial truck accidents have claimed the lives of several pedestrian longshore workers over the past few years. I recall each vividly… In that light, we need to do more in ensuring that workers and machines are insulated from one another to the greatest extent possible during all vessel, dock and yard operations. We also know that more needs to be done in the way of providing meaningful (and interesting) basic safety training to this country’s marine cargo handling workforce. We hope you’ll agree.

 

    1 Comment

  1. Sorry for the loss to the Fitzgerald family and for the operator involved. I’m sure it’s extremely devastating for everyone involved! We can never be to careful. Prayers!

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