Federal workplace safety inspectors find shipyard workers exposed to fire, asphyxiation hazards while making repairs to cargo ship in Ashtabula

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Federal workplace safety inspectors find shipyard workers exposed to fire, asphyxiation hazards while making repairs to cargo ship in Ashtabula

South Marine Systems LLC cited for 15 serious violations, fined $164K

ASHTABULA, OH ‒ Federal safety inspectors found a crew working aboard the Cuyahoga, a commercial iron ore vessel moored at the Port of Ashtabula, narrowly avoided disaster after a large fire erupted as they welded off paint in a cargo hold, an incident their employer could have avoided by following U.S. Department of Labor safety regulations.

Acting on a referral from the U.S. Coast Guard, inspectors with the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined the fire began while a worker used welding equipment to remove paint in the vessel's hold in March 2024. Many crewmembers, who had been working below the cargo hold, were on lunch break at the time and avoided the danger of the fire trapping them below decks.

OSHA found the employer - South Marine Systems of Westlake - did not designate a competent person able to identify hazards, nor had a marine chemist present to test for hazardous atmospheres before welding started. They also determined South Marine Systems did not stop work when small fires began to assess hazardous conditions and risks.

"Fate, not South Marine Systems, helped the cargo vessel's crew avoid disaster. The company's failure to comply with basic safety requirements for welding operations and working in confined spaces exposed workers to fires, asphyxiation and other dangers," explained OSHA Area Director Howard Eberts in Cleveland. "South Marine Systems must review its training program and its work operations immediately to make certain everyone on their work crews can recognize hazards and safely respond to emergencies."

OSHA has cited the company for 15 serious violations and one other-than-serious violation and proposed $164,540 in penalties.

Specifically, the agency found South Marine Systems failed to do the following:

• Determine flammability of the preservative coating on the bulkhead before hot work.
• Provide a 1-1/2 inch or larger fire hose with fog nozzle while employees used a welder to remove Amerthane 490 off the bulkhead, which would have protected workers from exposure to fire hazards and asphyxiation.
• Provide workers with a ladder to exit the water if they fell in, to prevent exposing them to hypothermia.
• Develop a fire safety plan.
• Establish an internal and external fire response organization.
• Ensure a Chinese-speaking employee performing hot work activities was able to communicate with a Spanish-speaking employee conducting fire watch, to ensure awareness of potential fire hazards.
• Verify employees received a medical examination to ensure fitness for duties involving fighting fires and using fire extinguishers.
• Provide employees exposed to asphyxiation hazards with a self-contained breathing apparatus.
• Train fire watch employees on the very basic elements of fighting a fire, including extinguishing agents and methods of extinguishing fires.
• Provide OSHA 300 Logs and Summary Form 300As for 2021-2023.

The USCG and National Transportation Safety Board have opened separate investigations of the incident.

Based in Pascagoula, Mississippi, South Marine Systems LLC has offices in Westlake, Ohio.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Learn more about OSHA.

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