9 Workers Hurt, 1 Critically, in Shipyard Accident
Nine workers were injured Wednesday night, one of them critically, when a ship’s propeller shaft fell on them at the National Steel & Shipbuilding Co., the site of an accident that killed six workers in July.
One man was reported in critical condition at the UC San Diego Medical Center. The others suffered less serious injuries. Names of the victims was not released.
Authorities at the shipyard refused to comment on the accident.
A union spokesman said the union would investigate the accident. “Safety problems have been an ongoing problem down there,” said Keith Widdcup, a spokesman for the committee that coordinates activities of the seven shipyard unions.
Six people were killed and six injured when a personnel basket carrying workers fell 30 feet to the deck of a Navy ship July 10, 1987.
The company was cited for 19 violations stemming from that accident. It appealed 18 of those violations, which carried $62,800 in penalties.
In March, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for 100 other alleged violations, which carried $72,300 in penalties. The company said it had implemented 75% of the improvements recommended by OSHA inspectors.
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