Report: Modified Tool Injures Dozens of Shipbuilder Employees

Friday, February 17, 2017 | 0

At least 53 employees of a contractor that builds ships for the Navy have been injured by a hand-held tool that the company modified against manufacturer warnings, according to an investigative news report.

The report by Reveal News said the tool has cut off workers’ fingers or left deep gashes on their faces, necks and arms. The investigation reviewed injury logs from January 2011 to March 2015 at defense contractor Austal USA.

The company allegedly modified the tool, designed to cut through metal, by attaching saw blades with teeth. The tool’s manufacturer warns against using such an attachment, saying it may create kickback and loss of control, Reveal reported.

The news source said the company's president did not respond to requests for comment.

A trial court in Mobile, Alabama, allowed a lawsuit by eight current and former Austal workers to move forward. Their lawsuit claims the company intentionally endangered them by requiring them to use the modified grinders.

Austal appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court, arguing that the company was immune from liability under the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. The appeal is pending.