An OSHA investigation launched after the drowning death of a dock worker has resulted in more than a quarter of a million dollars in proposed penalties against his employer. An employee of North Florida Shipyards Inc., a shipbuilding and repair company, suffered fatal injuries at the company's Commodores Point facility in Jacksonville, Florida. He drowned after a pressured air manifold struck him and knocked him into the St. Johns River.
OSHA has cited North Florida Shipyards for safety violations, including exposing employees to being struck-by, drowning, amputation, caught-in, and electrical hazards; allowing scuba divers to be unaccompanied by another diver; and failing to ensure machine guarding. Proposed fines total $271,061,