Repair work regarding maritime vessels can involve many things. Sometimes, painting or repainting surfaces on or in a vessel is part of such work.
When vessel painting is done in connection to vessel repair work, it can be very important for proper safety precautions to be taken, including: appropriate respiratory protection being provided, the area the painting is being done in being properly ventilated and taking safety into account when deciding how and when the painting will be done.
This is because safety risks can arise in connection to painting vessels. These risks include:
- Toxic exposure risks: Paints and other substances used in connection to vessel painting can contain toxic substances. So, toxic fumes or particles are sometimes put into the air during the course of vessel painting. Inhaling toxic fumes or particles can cause significant harm to a worker's health. Toxic fume/particle exposure risks can be particularly high in relation to painting done in confined spaces.
- Fall risks: Some types of vessel painting require workers to paint from an elevated position.
- Fire/explosion risks: the chemicals in paints and other painting-related substances can sometimes pose fire/explosion dangers.
When proper safety measures aren't taken in relation to the painting of vessels, the chances of injury-causing accidents occurring involving these risks can be upped.
As this underscores, for some tasks involving vessel repair, there can be a very wide variety of injury risks that could possibly come up in connection to the task. When a worker involved in vessel repairs is hurt in a work accident, whatever type of injury they suffered, it can be important for them to keep the compensation rights they might have properly protected. Experienced maritime accident lawyers can provide workers with guidance regarding such rights protection.
Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration, "Shipbuilding and Ship Repair - Hazards and Solutions - Process: Painting," Accessed April 28, 2016
