Lashing and unlashing containers is physically demanding and dangerous work. Longshore workers may be required to lift and maneuver heavy lashing gear, work in tight spaces, move through areas with low headroom, climb or work from elevated locations, and perform tasks near cranes, trucks, trailers, containers, and other cargo-handling equipment.
OSHA’s Protecting Workers during Lashing Operations fact sheet explains that lashing work is often performed around moving equipment, in areas with poor lighting, and during unfavorable weather conditions. OSHA identifies several major risks, including slips, trips, falls, being struck or crushed by equipment or falling objects, and improper handling of gear.
These hazards make lashing operations a recurring source of serious longshore injuries. A worker may be hurt by a falling lashing bar, a swinging turnbuckle, shifting gear, a moving yard vehicle, an unguarded opening, poor lighting, or unsafe walking surfaces. Because lashing work is often performed while cargo operations are active, the work area can change quickly and expose workers to hazards from multiple directions.
Training and planning before lashing work begins
OSHA emphasizes training as a key part of protecting workers during lashing operations. Workers should be trained on how to safely perform lashing duties and how to properly use material-handling equipment. Training should also address safe manual handling techniques to reduce back injuries.
That training should be practical. Workers need to know how to lift, carry, position, tension, and store lashing gear without placing themselves in the line of fire. They also need to understand vessel conditions, work environments, weather, lighting, communication procedures, and the different types of tasks they may perform during lashing or unlashing.
OSHA recommends safety talks before work begins and after work is completed so workers can review procedures and report unsafe conditions. This matters because lashing crews often know where the hazards are. They may know that a walkway is cluttered, a light is out, gear is damaged, a hatch cover is unsafe, or traffic is moving too close to the work area. Employers should create a system where those concerns are heard and addressed before someone is hurt.
When workers are not properly trained, the risk of a workplace injury increases. Lashing work should not be treated as simple manual labor. It requires hazard recognition, proper technique, coordination, and supervision.
Safe access, hatch covers, and walking surfaces
Longshore workers need safe access to vessels and work areas. OSHA identifies safe access to vessels, properly rigged and trimmed gangways, appropriate access ladders, hatch coverings, and latching mechanisms as important safety requirements in longshoring work.
Unsafe access can lead to falls before cargo work even begins. A poorly maintained ladder, unstable gangway, missing railing, damaged hatch cover, or unsafe route to the lashing area can create serious hazards. Workers may also be moving while carrying gear, which can make unstable footing even more dangerous.
The danger of open hatches is significant during cargo operations. OSHA warns that workers should be trained to identify and report unsafe holes or openings in walking and working surfaces. Openings must be properly covered, and missing, broken, or poorly fitting grates or hatch covers should be repaired or replaced.
Poor lighting and weather make lashing work more dangerous
OSHA identifies poor lighting and unfavorable weather as common conditions during lashing work. The fact sheet also states that employers must maintain minimum light intensity in walking, working, and climbing areas, and provide supplemental lighting when necessary.
Poor lighting can make it difficult to see hazards such as open holes, loose gear, wet decks, damaged ladders, moving vehicles, suspended loads, and uneven surfaces. A worker who cannot clearly see the work area may misstep, fail to notice moving equipment, or mishandle lashing gear.
Lashing work may also occur in rain, wind, heat, cold, or other difficult weather conditions. Wet decks and lashing bridges can increase the risk of a slip and fall. Wind can affect the movement of gear, containers, and suspended loads. Heat can create fatigue and increase the chance of mistakes.
Employers should assess actual working conditions before and during the job. If lighting is inadequate, surfaces are slippery, or weather makes the work unsafe, additional controls may be needed. Work should not continue simply because the vessel is on schedule.
Preventing falls from elevated locations
Lashing workers may perform tasks on container tops, lashing bridges, ladders, elevated platforms, hatch covers, or other raised areas. OSHA states that employers must provide and require fall protection during containerized cargo operations when there is a fall hazard. Workers must also be trained on fall protection systems, connection methods, anchoring and tie-off techniques, equipment limits, inspection, and storage.
Falls from height can cause catastrophic injuries. A worker may suffer head trauma, spinal injuries, fractures, internal injuries, or death. The risk increases when workers are carrying gear, working in poor lighting, moving around containers, or dealing with wet and uneven surfaces.
Fall protection must be more than a harness handed to a worker. The system must be appropriate for the task, properly anchored, inspected, and used correctly. Workers should understand when fall protection is required, how to connect safely, and how to avoid creating swing-fall or rescue hazards.
If a worker falls during lashing operations, investigators should review whether fall protection was required, whether it was provided, whether the worker was trained, whether the anchor point was safe, and whether the work area should have been changed before the task began.
Struck-by and crush hazards from gear and equipment
OSHA identifies being struck or crushed by equipment or falling objects as a major hazard in lashing operations. Longshore workers may be struck by lashing bars, turnbuckles, chains, binders, ratchet straps, cargo, containers, forklifts, trailers, yard trucks, or crane-related movement.
Crushing injuries can occur when workers are pinned between containers, vehicles, trailers, ship structures, or cargo-handling equipment. The forces involved in marine terminal work are enormous. A worker may have no time to escape once equipment begins moving.
OSHA instructs employers to establish safe zones and train workers to remain within those areas when working around cranes, yard hustler trucks, forklifts, trailers, and vehicle ramps. This is critical during lashing work because workers may be focused on gear and may not see moving equipment approach.
Workers should also wear appropriate gloves, use properly sized lashing bars, remove damaged bars from service, avoid leaving lashing bars hanging unattended, and avoid overhead work when possible. If overhead work cannot be avoided, workers should have hard hats and other appropriate protection.
Handling lashing gear safely
Improper handling of gear is another major hazard identified by OSHA. Lashing rods, bars, chains, turnbuckles, ratchet straps, binders, and related equipment can be heavy, awkward, and difficult to control. Repetitive lifting and awkward body positioning can cause back injuries and other musculoskeletal injuries.
OSHA recommends safe lifting techniques, including keeping loads close, raising and lowering objects slowly, using frequent trips rather than carrying too much at once, using a partner or mechanical assistance for heavy or awkward gear, turning with the feet instead of twisting at the waist, and carrying with two hands while distributing weight evenly.
The fact sheet also recommends staging loads above knee height and below shoulder height, providing appropriately sized tools, using teams of two for better control of rods and turnbuckles, and instructing workers not to throw gear or use excessive force to break turnbuckles or loosen chains.
These details matter. Many lashing injuries are not caused by one dramatic incident. They result from repeated unsafe handling, poor staging, wrong-sized gear, rushed work, and lack of help. Employers should design the job so workers are not forced to overreach, twist, strain, or lift beyond safe limits.
Defective gear and poorly secured cargo
OSHA states that defective gear must be removed from service. That includes items such as inoperable semi-automatic twist locks, turnbuckles, and damaged lashing bars. Gear that is bent, cracked, worn, jammed, mismatched, or otherwise unsafe can fail during use and injure workers.
A lashing injury investigation should examine whether the incident involved defective equipment. If a lashing bar failed, a turnbuckle released unexpectedly, a twist lock malfunctioned, or a tool was inappropriate for the job, the condition of that equipment should be documented and preserved.
Poorly secured cargo can also create serious hazards. Cargo and lashing gear should not be stacked or placed in a way that may cause items to fall, collapse, or strike workers. Unstable gear, loose containers, or unsecured materials can injure workers during loading, unloading, or lashing operations.
Employers should inspect gear, remove damaged items, control staging areas, and ensure workers have the right tools for the job. Unsafe gear should never remain in service simply because the operation is busy.
Vessel duties during lashing operations
When longshore workers are injured during vessel cargo operations, the vessel owner’s conduct may matter. The legal analysis depends on the facts, including who controlled the area, what condition existed, and when the hazard arose.
The turnover duty is important when unsafe vessel conditions exist before cargo work begins. That can include unsafe access, defective equipment, poor lighting, open hatches, or hidden hazards that affect longshore workers.
The active control duty arises when the vessel owner or crew retains control over an area or operation and a worker is injured because that controlled area is unsafe. The duty to intervene may arise when the vessel knows of a dangerous condition during operations and the work continues despite the hazard.
These duties are fact-specific. A serious lashing injury should be investigated to determine whether the hazard was created by the stevedore, terminal operator, vessel owner, equipment provider, or another party.
Evidence after a lashing operation injury
Important evidence should be preserved quickly after a lashing accident. This may include photographs, video, lashing gear, damaged equipment, hatch covers, lighting records, work assignments, safety talk records, inspection documents, training materials, witness statements, and incident reports.
An accident report may document the basic facts, but it may not fully explain whether lighting was adequate, gear was defective, cargo was unstable, access was safe, fall protection was required, or traffic controls were in place.
Surveillance video can be especially important in terminal and vessel operations. Video may show worker positioning, lighting, gear handling, equipment movement, safe zones, and the moment of injury.
A preservation letter can help protect physical evidence, video, electronic records, and communications before they are lost, altered, repaired, or discarded. An expert witness may be needed to evaluate lashing procedures, OSHA compliance, vessel duties, equipment condition, cargo handling, and the cause of the incident.
Legal rights after a longshore lashing accident
Longshore workers injured during lashing operations may have rights under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. Depending on the facts, they may also have third party claims against a vessel owner, terminal operator, equipment provider, contractor, or another company whose negligence contributed to the injury.
905(b) Claims may be available when vessel negligence causes or contributes to a longshore worker’s injury. The distinction between Jones Act vs. LHWCA may also matter because seamen and longshore workers have different legal remedies.
A legal claim requires proof of causation. The evidence must connect the unsafe access, poor lighting, defective gear, unprotected opening, lack of fall protection, equipment movement, or other negligent conduct to the worker’s injury.
The impact of shipowner negligence can be significant when unsafe vessel conditions cause serious harm. Injured workers may suffer common injuries such as fractures, head trauma, spinal injuries, crush trauma, amputations, and long-term disability.
Speak With a Longshore Injury Attorney
Spagnoletti Law Firm represents workers and families affected by serious longshore, cargo, and marine terminal accidents. Our attorneys work with qualified experts to investigate lashing operation injuries, unsafe access, poor lighting, fall hazards, defective equipment, open hatches, crushing injuries, poorly secured cargo, vessel duties, and terminal safety failures.
We offer a free consultation, and we handle longshore and cargo operation injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no upfront attorney’s fees and we are paid only if we recover compensation for you.
If you or a loved one has been impacted by a longshore or cargo operations accident, call Spagnoletti Law Firm at 713-804-9306 or contact us online.