OSHA updates a program designed to reduce amputations in the manufacturing industry; company execs in France found guilty of “institutional harassment” and alcohol-related fatalities are increasing in the U.S. These were among the occupational safety and health stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

The sinking of two vessels being towed in Massachusetts bay in 2018 was likely due to a decision by a tow captain and vessel owner to attempt a transit in wind and waves “that exceeded their original plan for the voyage,” according to a report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigated the incident. Two crew members received minor injuries in the December 2 incident, which occurred while the towing vessel Big Jake was towing five barges and two workboats.

The sinking of a fishing vessel off Portland, Maine last year sounds very much like a scene from the Hollywood movie, “A Perfect Storm," starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg. Fortunately, the real-life crew survived, unlike their cinematic counterparts – although their rescue was not without some tense moments. In both cases, however, a major factor in the calamity which endangered crew members was the captain’s decision not to return directly to port despite extreme weather conditions.

A blaze that broke out in the engine room of a towing vessel on the Lower Mississippi River was probably caused by an engine lube oil leak that ignited off a hot surface near the starboard main engine turbocharger. That’s according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which has completed its investigation into the September 12, 2018 incident.

All six crew members aboard the commercial diving vessel Conception were asleep at the time fire broke out aboard the 75-foot commercial diving vessel Sept. 2. One crew member and all 33 passengers perished when the ship sank in Platts Harbor off Santa Cruz Island. Those stark facts are in the preliminary report issued yesterday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on the incident, which occurred on the last night of a three-day diving trip to the Channel Islands.

The National Transportation Safety Board (the NTSB) has determined that an insufficient preventative maintenance program and lack of guidance for responding to engine high-temperature conditions, led to a fire earlier this year that resulted in the death of a passenger.

Personal flotation devices (PFDs) save lives – especially in the commercial fishing industry, one of the most dangerous occupations, with a fatality rate in the U.S. 29 times higher than the national average.

A company whose employee died while attempting a tow during a winter storm state of emergency has been cited for safety violations by OSHA. North Carolina-baseed Belhaven Shipyard and Marina Inc. - doing business as TowBoatUS River Forest - faces $11,640 in proposed penalties.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a marine accident brief and a related safety alert Thursday, warning mariners of the dangers of icing following the agency’s investigation of the sinking of the fishing vessel Destination.