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Factory Processing Accidents

In the Bering Sea alone, it is estimated that as many as 12,000 fish processors work aboard factory processing vessels such as freezer trawlers, factory stern trawlers, factory bottom longliners, factory barges, and purse seiners each year. When you consider the number of factory processing ships and barges in all the waters near Alaska, California, Oregon, and Washington, that number can be overwhelming – and so can the number of possible injuries.

Additionally, that number does not take into account the masters, fish masters, mates, engineers, fishery observers, stewards, technicians, or other crewmembers who work and may also suffer injury aboard a processing vessel. No matter your station on a factory barge or other processing ship, an experienced maritime injury attorney serving Washington, Oregon, California, and Alaska can help you recover the compensation you need for your factory processing injury.

Attorneys for Factory Processing Accident Injuries in Alaska, California, Oregon, and Washington

The working conditions on a factory processing vessel can be critical when it comes to the likelihood that an injury will result. If you have suffered injury on a factory ship in the North Pacific, Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Puget Sound, or other waters near Washington, Oregon, Alaska, or California, contact the experienced maritime injury attorneys of BoatLaw, LLP in Bellingham, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco.

BoatLaw, LLP will make sure you get the compensation you deserve for the injury you sustained and pursue damages against any liable parties under the Jones Act, unseaworthiness doctrine, or other applicable maritime law. To find out what BoatLaw, LLP can do for your factory processing injury case in the Pacific Northwest, call 1 (800) 262-8529 today and schedule your free initial case consultation.


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Information Center for Factory Processing Accidents


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Causes of Factory Processing Accidents

One of the benefits of working on a factory processing vessel such as a freezer trawler or a factory bottom longliner is the long hours available to the enterprising and determined worker. Unfortunately, this is also one of the biggest risks involved with the job. Insufficient rest and worker fatigue can cause mental and physical exhaustion, diminished reaction time, and decreased alertness and concentration. There are many other risks involved in working on a fish processing vessel, such as a factory barge, that can cause accidents, especially on an unseaworthy vessel, including the following:

  • Improper or inadequate safety training and/or supervision
  • Unsafe walking surfaces
  • Lack of ergonomics
  • Failure to mitigate chemical exposure
  • Inadequate crewmen for task
  • Unsafe or defective equipment
  • Freezer malfunction
  • Broken lifting straps
  • Faulty fish processing equipment
  • Improperly secured objects, such as cargo

These accidents can result in life-changing injuries and can often be prevented. An experienced Pacific Northwest maritime injury attorney can help determine negligence and assist you in pursuing damages for your Jones Act or unseaworthiness factory processing injury or pursue other options like extended maintenance and cure. It is best to report your injury to your supervisor and receive any urgent medical care before contacting a maritime injury lawyer.


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Types of Injuries on Factory Processing Vessels

The most common causes of injury on both factory processing ships and other maritime commerce vessels include being squeezed or crushed under or against an object, stepping on an object, slip and fall, trip and fall, being struck by an object, lifting or carrying an object, or handling a tool or instrument. Considering the heavy machinery, freezers, and sharp instruments aboard a factory ship, these injuries can be substantial.

Contact an experienced maritime injury attorney serving employees injured in the course of their work on a fish processing vessel in the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, North Pacific, and other bodies of water near Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and California, if you have suffered any of the following or another injury on board a factory processing vessel:

  • Back Injuries
  • Brain Injuries
  • Broken Bones
  • Burns from Fire/Heat/Explosions
  • Chemical Burns
  • Cuts, Stab Wounds, and Other Lacerations
  • Frostbite
  • Hand and Arm Injuries
  • Head Injuries
  • Hearing Loss
  • Lost Limbs / Amputated Fingers
  • Repetitive Use Injury
  • Shoulder Injuries
  • Toxic Exposure

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Recoverable Damages for Factory Processing Injuries

Whether you are a fish processor, factory technician, chief engineer, fish master, or mate, your maritime employer is obligated to provide you with maintenance and cure under maritime law for injuries you suffered during your duties. Additionally, if unseaworthiness contributed to your injury, you have cause for civil action against the liable vessel owner under general maritime law. Maritime employer negligence is governed by the Jones Act.

An experienced maritime injury attorney at BoatLaw, LLP can help ensure you are provided fair maintenance and cure as well as fight for additional payments, when necessary. Our qualified maritime injury lawyers serving Washington, Oregon, California, and Alaska can look for negligence in your factory processing injury claim and hold the liable maritime company responsible for things like your medical expenses, rehabilitative expenses, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and disability. This can be accomplished through a negotiated settlement or by taking the negligence or unseaworthiness case to trial.


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BoatLaw, LLP | Lawyers for Factory Processing Accident Injuries in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California

If you have been injured on a factory processing vessel, such as a mother ship or factory trawler, contact the experienced maritime injury attorneys of BoatLaw, LLP in Seattle, Bellingham, Portland, and San Francisco. They use their decades of combined experience to serve injured maritime employees coast-to-coast, including the North Pacific, Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Puget Sound, Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska, and other waters in and around Alaska, California, Oregon, and Washington. Your first consultation with BoatLaw, LLP is free, so call 1 (800) 262-8529 today and schedule yours.


This article was last updated on Wednesday, August 1, 2018.

  • The Maritime Law Association of The United States
    The Maritime Law Association of the United States (MLA) was founded in 1899. Its formation was prompted by the organization, some three years earlier, of the International Maritime Committee.
  • Washington State Bar Association
    The Washington State Bar Association operates under the delegated authority of the Washington Supreme Court to license the state's nearly 40,000 lawyers and other legal professionals.
  • Oregon State Bar
    The Oregon State Bar is a government agency in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1890 as the private Oregon Bar Association, it became a public entity in 1935 that regulates the legal profession.
  • Alaska Bar Association
    The Alaska Bar Association is a mandatory bar association responsible to the Alaska Supreme Court for the admission and discipline process of attorneys for the State of Alaska.