FACTS

Key Risks to Marine Construction Equipment

1. Loading and Unloading Equipment. Vessels and barges are always in motion to some degree, even dockside. When being loaded or unloaded with construction equipment, maintaining their stability is critical.
2. Securing Equipment for Transit. Vessels often travel miles to reach a job site and can encounter rough seas, strong currents, and adverse weather on the journey. Valuable equipment can shift and be damaged or lost overboard, cause damage to other cargo and to the vessel’s structures and fittings.
3. Job Site Traffic. Marine construction sites can be especially busy, with workers on foot, cranes overhead, mobile equipment and work being conducted from vessels or barges. This combination of factors can create a high risk for accidents that could damage equipment or cause bodily injury and even death.
4. Vandalism and Theft. While onshore job sites can often be fenced off, marine job sites may be more difficult to secure. Marine construction job sites can be easy targets without adequate security measures.
5. Improper Marine Navigational Lighting. Navigational lighting on barges and marine equipment can not only deter vandalism and theft, it’s also essential in preventing accidents with other vessels. Without proper lighting, barges and marine equipment may not be visible under low light conditions.

STATS

• The more than 400,000 maritime workers across the country are exposed to chemical, environmental, and respiratory hazards.
• There were at least 485 fatal accidents (4.0 per 100,000) among shipyard workers,8 higher than the rate for all U.S. workers.