Shrimp boat death reviewed by OSHA

BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. (WALA) - Coast Guard officials said the U.S. Department of Labor's Alabama office and The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have been called in to help the Coast Guard review the death of a 15-year-old shrimp boat worker .

Officials said the Department of Labor is investigating to see if any state laws were violated concerning the victim’s age.  Authorities said OSHA is in the process of reviewing the case information.

Authorities said 15-year-old Steven Branch was killed Saturday night, August 11, while working on the shrimp boat the “Nettie Q” off the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Coast Guard officials said Branch died after getting stuck in a winch. A winch is a device that pulls in and lets out cable for hauling in shrimp.

"The individual had baggy shorts and his shorts had got caught up into the capstan or the drum of the winch that pulled lines. He was actually pulled in to the winch and suffered a head injury,” said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Mike Clausen.

It’s unclear if Branch was working the device or standing near it.

Shrimpers said the winch is no doubt, the most dangerous piece of equipment on a boat.

"It’s a root of all evil as we call it,” said owner of Dominick Seafood Dominick Ficarino.

Ficarino knows shrimp boats well. He said only the experienced boaters should work the winch.

“It is important we try to train the guys. (It’s) years and years on deck before we ever allow them to get on the winch because, like I said, it is extremely dangerous,” said Ficarino.

Scott Labak inspects commercial boats for the U.S Coast Guard. He said he inspected the “Nettie Q” about two months ago. He said he found minor deficiencies. Nothing related to the winch.

"The inspection would not have prevented deaths like that. You really have to be experienced and watch what's going. You have slick decks. You have fish on deck. You have rocking motion of the vessel itself, and you have to really be careful with this apparatus,” said Labak.

Labak said 10 deaths a year happen on boats, in the Gulf of Mexico, and even one is unacceptable.