ONE docker was killed and another was in a coma at the Port of Los Angeles' Fenix Marine Service terminal at Pier 30 after a tyre exploded on a top-loader container handler.
International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) officials said the two men were inflating the top-handler tyre, which is about five to six feet in diameter, when it exploded.
The dead man, Jose Santoyo, 58, was a member of the ILWU as was the injured man, Pedro Chavann, who suffered head injuries and was in coma, after being taken to Harbour UCLA Medical Centre, according to New York's FreightWave.
'My heart goes out to the families of the victims of this tragic accident,' said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.
Said Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino: 'Today is a tragic reminder of the danger that thousands of workers face every day working on our docks.'
The accident happened on the day of the ILWU's 'First Blood' commemoration, which honours the lives lost working on the waterfront.
According to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the last death that occurred during marine cargo handling occurred May 10, 2014. A longshoreman was struck and killed while loading cargo at the Gulf Stream Marine terminal in Houston.
WORLD SHIPPING
International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) officials said the two men were inflating the top-handler tyre, which is about five to six feet in diameter, when it exploded.
The dead man, Jose Santoyo, 58, was a member of the ILWU as was the injured man, Pedro Chavann, who suffered head injuries and was in coma, after being taken to Harbour UCLA Medical Centre, according to New York's FreightWave.
'My heart goes out to the families of the victims of this tragic accident,' said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.
Said Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino: 'Today is a tragic reminder of the danger that thousands of workers face every day working on our docks.'
The accident happened on the day of the ILWU's 'First Blood' commemoration, which honours the lives lost working on the waterfront.
According to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the last death that occurred during marine cargo handling occurred May 10, 2014. A longshoreman was struck and killed while loading cargo at the Gulf Stream Marine terminal in Houston.
WORLD SHIPPING