Other Support Activities for Water Transportation

NarrativeOn January 16, 2018, the Governor of North Carolina declared a State of Emergency for an approaching winter storm and the State of Emergency remained in effect on January 17 and 18, 2018. On the morning of January 17, 2018, the National Weather Service issued a Gale Warning for the entire coastal region of North Carolina for the time period of 7:00 p.m. of January 17, 2018, through 10:00 a.m. on January 18, 2018. The Gale Warning predicated winds of 20 to 30 knots with gusts up to 40 knots and waves of two to four feet. Despite the warnings, Employee #1, a tugboat captain, agreed to conduct a dock-to-dock tow. At approximately 6:00 p.m. on January 17, 2018, the captain was the sole employee aboard the 21-foot towboat (a U.S. vessel). During the towing operation, a dock line from the towboat fell into the water and wrapped around the propeller, causing the engine to stall. Without propulsion, the captain had no way to control the boat. As a result, at approximately 7:00 p.m., the towboat capsized and sank with the captain onboard. His body was found two days later, on January 19, 2018, and he was not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD). An investigation conducted by the United States Coast Guard concluded that weather, high winds and rough seas attributed to the incident.

NarrativeAn employee was helping to stack barge covers when the top cover's clamp became caught in the D-ring on the cover below it, preventing proper stacking. The employee went to assist another employee in removing the catch and asked the crane operator to lift the top cover again. During this action, his left index finger was caught in the clamp, lacerating it. He required surgery.

NarrativeAn employee fell off the back of a pickup truck and broke his left arm.