Shipyard Faces $271K Fine Following Employee Drowning

Wednesday, July 11, 2018 | 0

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed penalties of $271,061 for a Florida shipyard where an employee drowned in an accident in January.

OSHA issued citations on July 2 to North Florida Shipyards Inc., a shipbuilding and repair company in Jacksonville.

OSHA cited the employer for violations including exposing employees to drowning, amputation, and electrical hazards, as well as dangers of being struck by objects or caught in equipment. The shipyard allowed scuba divers to be unaccompanied by another diver and failed to ensure machine guarding, the agency alleged.

The company has 15 business days to contest the citations.

In the Jan. 21 incident, a worker at the company’s Commodores Point facility, 34-year-old Atakorah Padmore, was struck by a pressured air manifold and knocked into the St. Johns River.

A witness heard a loud noise and then saw Padmore in the river, News 4 in Jacksonville reported at the time. The witness tried unsuccessfully several times to throw Padmore a rope.

According to an obituary, Padmore was a father of two who was close to earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He had served in the U.S. Navy for nine years.