A third party contractor repairman died after falling 50 feet from a crane last Wednesday on the deck of the Maersk Eindhoven which was docked at the Port of Los Angeles.
According to a statement released to gCaptain by Maersk North America, the crew member fell into a cargo hold while the ship was docked at Pier 400 Los Angeles. Despite the best efforts of emergency responders, the man could not be resuscitated.
“Firefighters/paramedics initiated resuscitative measures, but sadly, the man was beyond medical help. Crews determined him to be dead on scene,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement.
Maersk said the worker was a repairman hired through a subcontractor and was responsible for assisting the crew of the vessel with repair work.
According to the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS), news footage of the fall’s location appears to show the crane in question without any fall prevention netting underneath it. “This concern was raised by longshore workers on social media. While details of the incident are still murky, it is highly improbable that such a fall could have taken place with adequate safety measures present,” the WSW said.
“OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) guidelines require a safety net underneath workplaces that are 25 feet or higher in the air when other safeguards such as safety lines are unavailable or impractical.”
The Los Angeles port police are investigating.
