It’s the fourth death at the shipyard since 2019
A man has died in South Carolina after he fell 100ft to the bottom of a ship’s smokestack.
The 63-year-old, who has yet to be named, was standing on a small platform inside the smokestack as he worked on the ship.
But he fell to the bottom of the structure when the platform gave way, The State reports.
The tragic incident happened on Sunday at Detyens Shipyards, the largest commercial shipyard on the US East Coast
According to the North Charleston Police Department (NCPD), a co-worker – who was with the victim at the time – told police that they were working on the exterior side of the smokestack when the man “entered it and stood on a small platform.”
The victim was not harnessed and fell 63-100ft down to the bottom of the smokestack when the platform “gave way.”
The police reports states that crew members lost sight of the victim when he fell but tried to maintain audible contact with him.
Emergency services arrived on the scene and were able to locate the man. He died at the scene.
The death is being investigated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
It’s the fourth death at the Detyens Shipyards, pictured, since 2019 (Google Maps)According to The Post and Courier, the man is the fourth person to die at the shipyard since 2019.
In January 2020, David Clark, 34, died after he was struck by a shackle while working at the shipyard, causing him to fall nearly four stories from the top deck of a ship.
Martin Anthony, 51, died in a fall June 27, 2019, at the shipyard.
And earlier that year, on April 3, welding contractor Juan Villalobos Hernandez died whilst working on a lifeboat at the shipyard when a rope snapped, causing him to be struck by a heavy piece of equipment that was sprung free and fatally pinned him against the boat’s equipment.
The OSHA has cited the shipyards 21 times for serious workplace safety violations in the past 10 years. The company has paid out $110,000 in fines during that period.
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