Union Officials Say Hoist That Hurt 9 Was Never Inspected
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SAN DIEGO — Union officials at a San Diego shipyard where nine workers were injured charged Thursday that a hoist that has never been inspected broke apart, causing a 22-ton propeller shaft that was being installed on a Navy destroyer to plunge into the group of workers.
The accident--which left three men hospitalized--occurred Wednesday at the National Steel & Shipbuilding Co. yard as workers were aligning the shaft, said Fred Hallett, spokesman and vice president of finance for the firm.
Robert Godinez, president of the Iron Worker’s Local 627 union, charged that the 6-ton pneumatic hoist has never been inspected, even though federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations call for annual safety inspections.
An OSHA spokesman said agency investigators found that a steel pin on the hoist had broken, but added that it would probably be about two weeks before any official findings are released.
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