Inspection Detail

Inspection: 311686968 - C&C Marine Maintenance Company

Inspection Information - Office: Charleston Area Office

Investigation Summary

On April 6, 2009, Employee #1 was working as a deckhand trainee on a 1996 Jumbo Barge Number 9662. At the time of the accident, the tugboat was in use and all deck hands were involved in moving empty barges and preparing them for transport upstream. The barge was to be built by tying barges together, three barges wide and five barges deep. The deck hands had tied five barges together and were attaching a sixth barge when the accident occurred. An employee announced for all deckhands to hold on for the "bump". The bump was expected and would occur when barges being picked up would strike other barges. To prepare for the bump, all hands on deck crouch down and hold on to something secure on the barge. In this case, drift wood washed from between two barges and allowed the rake end of barge Number 9662 to come together with the barge next to it. The coupling on the box end of barge Number 9662 swung the opposite direction and resulted in a "bump" with barge Number 0613. When the bump occurred, Employee #1 fell over the side of the barge approximately 11 ft and into the water. Employee #1 was wearing a U.S. Coast Guard approved life vest and the vest was fastened. Coworkers were unable to rescue Employee #1 from the water before he went under. Rescue crews searched but were unable to recover Employee #1. The vest was recovered the following day on April 7, 2009. The body of Employee #1 was recovered on April 22, 2009, two weeks and two days after the accident.

Keywords: BARGE, ASPHYXIATED, FALL, DROWN, LIFE JACKET