A 57-year-old shipyard worker was killed May 22 after a fire and explosion tore through a Staten Island, NY, shipyard, injuring 40 others.
The explosion occurred at May Ship Repair in Mariners Harbor, where workers and firefighters were responding to a fire aboard a dry dock. According to the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), firefighters entered the lower level of a metal structure to search for trapped workers and to battle the blaze when the explosion erupted.
The worker killed was identified by monopoly media as Xiaoyuan Li of Flushing, Queens, a husband and father who had worked at the shipyard for years. Citing Li’s family, the outlet says he was trapped in the belly of a boat he was painting at the time of the explosion.
FDNY Fire Marshal Christopher Cuccaro, 46, and Firefighter Vincent Delgado, 36, remained hospitalized in stable condition as of Sunday after suffering critical injuries in the blast, while an unidentified worker was also injured and in “critical condition” according to the FDNY. In total, 39 FDNY members and one shipyard worker were injured.
The FDNY said on 05/27 they determined the cause of the fire and explosion to be “accidental” and “the ignition of flammable vapors associated with industrial grade paint within a confined space.” The New York Times cites a safety inspector at the shipyard saying such ignitions are “completely avoidable.”
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), one worker died of drowning at May Ship Repair’s facility in 2001 in an incident where investigators reported “no eyewitnesses” and issued no penalties.
In 2012, OSHA fined the company nearly $19,000 for multiple workplace safety violations, including hazards related to welding in confined spaces, exposure to energized electrical wiring, and the absence of a fire safety plan.
OSHA warns that confined-space work carries heightened risks because of restricted airflow and limited exits that can trap workers during fires or chemical releases. “Hot work” such as welding in confined spaces can also cause flammable gases and toxic fumes to build up and increase the risk of fires when employers do not provide proper ventilation and safety procedures.
Image: Firefighters tend to the fire in Staten Island. Credit: Fire Department of the City of New York on Facebook.
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