Lasher, Walking on Marine Terminal Apron, Struck and Killed by Yard Tractor/Trailer Combination [Incheon, South Korea – 12 February 2022]

Posted by admin on Apr 14, 2022 in Bulletins

Blueoceana Company has received information that confirms the death of a lasher (an employee of a cargo securing firm) who, as a pedestrian on the terminal’s apron, was struck and killed by a yard tractor/trailer combination operated by an employee of the marine terminal operator (Singapore’s PSA) on 12 February 2022 shortly after 9:15 PM.

Media reports indicate that the operator of the yard tractor has made statements to investigators that he simply did not see the victim in the moments leading to the accident.

Complicating the sorting out of responsibilities and the applicability of the relevant laws is the matter of corporate identity. One such law, which requires a shut down of operations until remedial actions can be secured and implemented, applies to employers of 50 or more workers. The terminal operator (PSA) certainly has over 50 employees. The lashing company, however, has only 42 employees and is thus responsible for adhering to an entirely different occupational safety & health law which does not require shut down.

In the end, operations at the marine terminal (the largest in South Korea) were suspended for 10 days while the finer details of which law applied and to whom, were sorted out by government officials.

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