FIRST ON 3: Port of Wilmington cited after worker hurt

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Port of Wilmington has less than 15 days to respond to citations issued after a worker was hurt.

The citations come after a man was pinned between a guardrail of the lift basket and a light fixture at the Port earlier this year. There was no word on the victim’s condition at the time, but the Department of Labor opened an investigation following the incident.

According to filings by the Department of Labor last month, the Port was given one serious and one non-serious citation, totaling $10,500. The citation said the employers didn’t train workers properly on hazards associated with scaffold work and they failed to furnish the workplace free of recognized hazards. The documents said the non-serious issue was the Port failed to report to OSHA within 24 hours after the in-patient hospitalization or an employee’s amputation or loss of an eye. Those changes came into effect in January 2015.

After that filing, a spokesman said the OSH Division office in Wilmington issued a “no change” letter to the Port, meaning the citations will remain. The Port then had 15 working days from receipt of that letter to file a notice of contest.

WWAY reached out to the Port for comment. Their spokesman, Cliff Pyron, issued the following statement in an email:

“We have received the citation from the NC Department of Labor and are working with officials on the proper after action items.”