Jones Act Maritime Safety Rules for Barges to Prevent a Ship Accident (Part A)
If you’re wondering what is the Jones Act in regards to provisions for maritime safety regulations, you’ll be surprised to know that there are many parties involved. When a ship accident occurs – whether it is on a commercial fishing boat, a shipping vessel or a barge – there may be many organizations you could be dealing with for an injury claim. Your Jones Act attorney can help you correspond and negotiate with these organizations as you seek benefits for your maritime injury.
Who regulates maritime safety?
Your ship accident can be caused by numerous factors, and negligence is one of the major ones in regards to what is the Jones Act going to do for your injury claim. The Jones Act provides compensation to injured barge workers who suffer medical conditions or disabilities after a serious ship accident. To file a claim for damages, you must be able to prove that another person’s negligence caused the accident to occur.
This is when your Jones Act attorney can be extremely helpful. In most cases, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates the maritime safety rules for barges and other commercial vessels. The U.S. Coast Guard is another department that regulates maritime safety in partnership with OSHA.
Your main employer also may have their own safety rules for barges under their control. No matter who regulates the safety rules, if they are violated and result in a ship accident on a barge, you may need to file a maritime injury claim for damages.
Continue reading to learn about some of the specific safety rules for barges and what is best for Jones Act claims. You’ll want a Jones Act attorney to help you gather solid evidence that someone else was negligent in following the barge safety rules and that your injuries were a direct result of that negligence.