Two workers were killed in an accident at a privately owned ship repair yard in Virginia in the United States last week.
Police and firefighters responded to the scene of the accident at the Marine Hydraulics International (MHI) Ship Repair Yard on the Elizabeth River in Norfolk at around 7.45am on Wednesday.
One worker was declared dead at the scene and a second critically injured worker was transported to hospital but died within several hours of arrival.
MHI confirmed the deaths in a statement.
"We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of two shipyard workers. "Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, as well as with the many impacted workers at our facility. We are committed to supporting them through this difficult time,” the company said.
“Safety is our top priority at MHI, and we will work within our own team and with local authorities to investigate the cause of this incident.”
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) previously cited MHI and fined the company three times in March 2021 for serious violations.
OSHA reported at the time that loads had not been safely rigged, and synthetic web slings were not marked or coded to display rated capacities for each type of hitch and synthetic web material, leading to an employee fracturing his foot on the job. Another report said that the same employee was exposed to a 9-foot (2.74 metre) fall while using faulty equipment.
Both of the latest incidents are being investigated by the local authorities as "undetermined deaths".
MHI Ship Repair is a division of Titan, the successor company of West Coast shipbuilder Vigor Industrial. It employs about 500 people in the Norfolk region.
