The Jones Act (46 USCS Appx § 688) requires that owners and operators of seagoing vessels provide their employees a reasonably safe place to work.
The seaman’s trade is inherently risky. Some degree of danger attaches to every shipboard job, from cooking to handling dangerous cargo. Nevertheless, a ship or seagoing platform is a human construct, and can be managed by humans in a reasonable and prudent way. An operator or owner is negligent when it acts in a manner a reasonably prudent maritime operator would not act.
Some examples of unsafe working conditions at sea include:
- Failure to post warnings of a known hazard
- Failure to properly maintain and service equipment aboard ship
- Failure to mitigate dangers associated with foul weather or heavy seas
- Failure to provide adequate security for seamen abroad
- Failure to observe proper procedures in the handling of toxic or hazardous materials
The statutes are clear regarding maritime law and unsafe working conditions. If you or someone you know has been injured due to a ship or facility owner’s negligence in providing safe working conditions, contact Johnson Law Group as soon as possible. An experienced, specialized maritime attorney can take your case to court and get the compensation you deserve.
