Common Injuries Faced by Ship Repairers

If you’re not convinced that your business needs Workers’ Comp for Ship Repairers, consider the tools, processes, and materials your team uses for their work. Welding, cutting, grinding and shot blasting steel, aluminum, lead, and wood in extreme, dangerous conditions is all part of the job. Read on to learn what the Occupational Safety & Health Administration has identified as common injuries faced by ship repairers.

• During many ship-repair operations, toxic fumes and particles are emitted. When workers inhale these, they can experience respiratory problems and even poisoning.
• Arc welding generates ultraviolet radiation that is magnified by the argon gas in the process. Welders often fall victim to conjunctivitis.
• Welding-related burns are among the most common injuries faced by ship repairers.
• If you’ve ever been on the site of a ship-repair operation, you know how noisy it is. Without adequate hearing protection, workers may experience hearing loss.
• Working outside in extreme cold or heat may lead to frost bite, heat exhaustion, or dehydration.
• Fall injuries also are common, and usually result from scaffold and ladder failures or unstable work platforms. A worker who falls from a deck or dry docks may drown, especially if not wearing a life jacket.
• Divers who conduct ship repairs underwater are prone to unique injuries, even when they’re working in shallow waters. If they surface too quickly, they can experience decompression sickness. When arc welding, they’re at risk of electrocution. And, of course, any diver is at risk of drowning.

If you ever doubted that workers’ compensation insurance was an absolute necessity, hopefully you’re now convinced that’s not the case. At Merrimac Marine Insurance, we can craft a comprehensive workers’ comp policy to protect your business and your employees. We also provide a broad spectrum of marine insurance policies to cover exposures ranging from fires and natural disasters to product liability and errors and omissions. Call us today at 888.344.1687 to learn more about our marine insurance programs.