Fraser Shipyards faces $1.4m in OSHA penalties

Superior, Wis.-based Fraser Shipyards has been accused of exposing workers to hazardous conditions during the six-month retrofit project of a 690-foot freighter.    The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has accused Fraser Shipyards Inc. of Superior, Wis. of exposing its workers to hazardous conditions during the retrofitting of the Herbert C. Jackson’s engine room, the U.S. Department of Labor said.
   Interlake Steamship Company of Middleburg Heights, Ohio contracted Fraser Shipyards to modernize the 690-foot freighter under a $10 million contract. The vessel, which was built in 1959, arrived at Fraser Shipyards in December 2015 for the six-month retrofit project.
   OSHA proposed $1.4 million in penalties for the shipyard operator last Friday after sampling results revealed that 14 workers had lead levels up to 20 times the exposure limit. Lead overexposure can potentially cause brain damage, gastrointestinal effects, anemia and kidney disease.
   Employees were also exposed to materials containing asbestos, which increases the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma.
   In addition, the workers were exposed to iron oxide, arsenic, hexavalent chromium, cadmium and lead hazards while performing torch-cutting and welding procedures.
   OSHA launched the health inspection in February after receiving several complaints of unsafe working conditions. After conducting personal and bulk sampling in February and March, which discovered the 14 employees were overexposed to lead, blood lead level testing was conducted on more than 120 additional employees, revealing that over 75 percent of those tested had elevated blood lead levels.
   Since 1972, OSHA has inspected Fraser Shipyards 28 times. In 1993, Fraser Shipyards faced multiple lead violations, while in 2000, OSHA cited the company for exposing workers to asbestos hazards.
   “The company has 15 business days from receipt of its 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,” OSHA said.