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OSHA Levels Fines in Shipyard Accident

Posted on: Monday, 8 May 2006, 15:04 CDT

By Noah Haglund, The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C.

May 6--Matthew Williamson and his family hoped his temporary pipe-fitting job would take the 18-year-old further than anybody in the family had been before.

The cash earned at Knight's Services, a Summerville subcontractor, promised to help Williamson buy a car and go to college. The 2005 Summerville High School graduate wanted to enroll in the College of Charleston next fall, where he planned to room with one of his best friends.

His father knew the value of an education. David Williamson quit school to start working and has spent the last 20 years pipe-fitting.

"Don't wind up like your dad," he would tell Matthew. "I'm proud of being a pipe-fitter, don't get me wrong. But your body wears down over time."

The family's dreams ended Dec. 1, when Matthew died while working in a sewage room on board the USNS Supply, a government-owned supply ship undergoing repairs at Detyens Shipyard in North Charleston.

Williamson had been working in the ship's consolidated holding tank, or CHT room, according to a Charleston County Coroner's report released this week.

An autopsy and toxicology results showed that Williamson was overcome by toxic fumes. It was hydrogen sulfide, a colorless and potentially lethal gas produced by raw sewage.

Williamson and two other men had been removing pipes from the tank. The two other men loosened a pipe and sewage began spilling out sometime around 4 p.m.

All three fled the room, and one of them went to find help to stop the spill, the report states. Williamson went back into the room to retrieve some tools and his hard hat.

The other man called for Williamson when he didn't come out, the report states. The man looked down the hatch and saw Williamson lying on his back in about 3 inches of liquid. He went down and held him up but had trouble breathing.

The man who had gone to get help came back and stayed with Williamson until rescuers arrived. Emergency workers could not remove his body after the accident because of a "high level of toxic gas still on board the ship," the report states.

This week, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration leveled $20,350 in fines against Knight's Services Inc. and $4,250 in fines against Detyens Shipyards, according to citations. The employers have 15 working days from the date of receipt to contest the violations.

Reached Friday afternoon, neither Knight's nor Detyens had anyone available who could comment on the fatal accident or on OSHA's actions.

The federal agency faulted Knight's for five "serious" violations and two "other than serious" violations.

Citations say the employer did not ensure that each person in the sewage room was properly trained to exit the area. Another states that "pipelines were not disconnected," nor were other measures taken "to prevent discharge of hazardous substances" into the room.

Some of the citations relate to a period beginning Nov. 21 up to the accident, during which time OSHA found that the employer failed to stop work in the sewage room even though workers noticed a rotten egg smell and black sewage coming out of the lines. OSHA also said a competent person did not inspect the room often enough to make sure it was safe.

OSHA cited Detyens for two "serious" violations and one "other than serious" violation. The serious violations relate to not training employees to work in a confined space and for not following proper procedures for working in a confined space.

"This was a terrible accident to occur to this young man who died because they didn't follow OSHA procedures," said Suzanne Street, OSHA's area director. "We're hoping it will make a big impact on them."

The family declined to comment on the circumstances of the accident, referring questions to their attorneys, Stephen F. DeAntonio and Robert D. Waltz, a retired chief petty officer with the U.S. Navy, both with the DeAntonio Law Firm. No formal legal action had been filed as of Friday, according to DeAntonio.

"This was a tragic accident that could have been avoided. And the (OSHA) report supports that," he said. "It is serious that violations were found. Those fines pale in comparison to the loss."

High school graduation photos show Matthew as a taller version of his parents.

"I was so proud of him, he was always in honors," his father said. "He was a very special boy."

He also is survived by his 11-year-old sister, Sarah.

Well-organized, exceedingly polite, positive and nonjudgmental is how friends and family described him. He might have appeared reserved, but those close to him knew his sense of humor and his gift for gab.

His mother, Tina Williamson, recalled that with her son, it was always, "Yes, ma'am, no sir, always polite. Always smiling, never complaining."

He was know to be exceedingly neat. His friend Michael Lane, 20, quipped that he kept his shirts, most of which featured his favorite rock bands, in alphabetical order. He would bowl with his friends and often saw local bands play at Summerville's American Legion Hall.

Matthew Williamson began the pipe-fitting job Sept. 14 and earned $7.50 an hour, his parents said.

David Williamson normally worked with his son but wasn't at work the day of the accident because of a minor injury.

Tina Williamson wondered if her husband could have prevented the accident if he had been at work. Or she could have lost her son and her husband.

"We're asking God a lot, 'Why?' " she said.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C.

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Source: The Post and Courier

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