7 Tips for Basic Barge Safety for Maritime Workers

While it’s mainly your employer’s duty to ensure workplace safety while employed on a barge, there are also precautions you can take to help decrease your risk of suffering injury while working on a barge.

You are the first person responsible for your own safety, and these 7 tips may help you avoid becoming the victim of a ship accident: 

• utilize all safety equipment available and inform your supervisor of any equipment you lack;
• keep barge decks well organized and free of debris or unnecessary equipment;
• be aware of locations of all hatches and openings on deck and make sure they are secured before moving across them;
• perform checks for leaks before filling or emptying a barge;
• know where safety equipment such as fire extinguishers and personal floatation devices are located;
• undergo safety training for both your workplace and your job function; and
• watch for any equipment or structures that are in disrepair or are malfunctioning and report them immediately to your supervisor. 

These barge-specific tips, as well as general maritime safety rules, can help you minimize your risk of being involved in an offshore accident. Unfortunately, even the most safety-conscious maritime workers can fall victim to serious injury when their employer is negligent in workplace safety. You have the right to a safe work environment and the right to seek damages if your employer violates that right. A Jones Act attorney can help you protect these rights and represent you during a maritime injury claim settlement.

Injured in a Ship Accident? Contact a Jones Act Attorney

The Jones Act provides you with certain protections your employer may not want you to know about. A Jones Act attorney from The Young Firm in New Orleans, Louisiana, can help you if your employer violated maritime safety laws for barges and you suffered a serious injury in a ship accident.

Though we are based in Louisiana, we are ready and able to help injured victims throughout the U.S. Order our free Maritime Injury Law guide and/or our guide to what to do when you are injured offshore to learn all about your rights as an injured worker. 

If you are asking what is the Jones Act in regards to your maritime injury claim we urge you to contact us today for a FREE case evaluation – call 1-504-680-4100 or toll-free at 1-866-938-6113.