Jones Act Attorney

The Realities of Working at Sea

Many jobs have dangerous work environments. In some cases, the employer is very well aware of his or her employees' risks of injury but does not do anything about it. Workers at sea are a perfect example of this and before 1970, there was nothing uniform to protect them from any injuries that resulted because of negligence of their employer or co-worker.

As noted in the October, 2004 edition of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, a study conducted by a group of six international medical professionals concluded that 43% of the total injuries from seafarers were related to slips, trips, or falls. Their conclusion was that there was a need for learning how to prevent the increase in these types of injuries.

A separate study conducted by the Seafarers International Research Centre in 2000 concluded that workers at sea have a tendency to be overworked since they opt to work more hours for extra pay than to rest or have free time given the limited recreational resources on a vessel. An employer is more than willing to accommodate for a worker who would rather work, and that accommodation sometimes comes at the expense of the worker's safety or the safety of the fellow crew members. An overworked laborer increases the chance of mistakes and injuries because of fatigue. With the passing of the Jones Act, these issues do not go overlooked, and in fact, provides protection to a seafarer injured on the job.

Legal Rights of Seafarers

The Jones Act is a complex set of rules and regulations that maps out all types of scenarios a sea worker may encounter and what their legal rights are. A Jones Act attorney can interpret this piece of legislation in order to determine how it applies to the injured worker. Understanding your legal rights is quite difficult to do on your own. You need to consult with a Jones Act attorney that has experience with seafarer injuries. Choosing a workers' compensation attorney may not be applicable to the standards involved with your situation. The law is different when it comes to seafarers' injuries and only a Jones Act attorney will be able to assist you.

Williams Kherkher is a law firm with attorneys working in a wide range of practice areas, including those who spend much of their time representing injured seafarers. Their focus is to understand your case by listening to you and then determining the best avenue to resolve your issue. As serious as seafarer injuries can be, choosing a Williams Kherkher Jones Act attorney for a free consultation should be your best next step. Contact us today.