News - Local News

POSTED: Friday, Oct. 02, 2009

Ferry workers' injury claims raise cost of Whatcom County's insurance

Whatcom Chief ferry employees have reported 12 injuries over the past nearly four years, most of them repetitive-use injuries, county records show.

So many injury claims have been filed that an insurance company has canceled its primary coverage insurance policy for the ferry, which runs to Lummi Island. New insurance will cost the county $29,000 more than last year, an 84 percent increase.

The County Council on Tuesday, Sept. 29, voted 6-0, with Ward Nelson absent, to approve buying the new insurance.

A recent study by a consultant said the county's ferry program is a good risk for insurance companies, but it noted the high number of employee injuries. Employees may have been able to handle the physical demands when they were hired, but after years on the job they may not be able to any more, the report stated.

Employees wrote in injury forms that several injuries could be prevented by having different equipment on board, including lighter chains and lighter and shorter tie-up lines for the ship.

"These are old lines that are too long for how the ferry is tied out for overnight docking," wrote an employee who broke an arm while working with a line to tie the boat up for the night. "These lines are oversized for the job, old and worn out so they soak up water and become extremely heavy - don't dry out in winter."

The insurance report recommended instituting a physical requirement that employees would have to meet.

Dewey Desler, director of county administrative services, said the county plans to pursue that recommendation.

"Understand we have to do it in a respectful way with the unions that represent the employees because it would be a change in the nature of the working conditions," Desler said. Administrators haven't decided how and when to approach the union yet, he said.

The Bellingham Herald requested injury claims by ferry workers. The county provided the records, but information that could be used to identify an employee was redacted. Handwriting on the records differ, however, indicating injuries involved two or more people.

INJURIES TO WHATCOM CHIEF EMPLOYEES

The following injuries were listed on reports filed by employees of the Whatcom Chief ferry. The Bellingham Herald obtained the reports through a public records request.

Dec. 6, 2005: While at home, employee reached up to pull at a tree branch and there was a pop in the right shoulder, which had been hurting for a few years while handling chains and lines on the ferry. The chains and lines on the boat could be lighter, preventing the injury, the employee wrote.

June 28, 2006: Wrist began hurting while handling chains on deck of the ferry. By end of shift, hand and wrist were not moveable.

Oct. 21, 2006: Stress and pain in right shoulder, elbow, upper arm and back from handling lines.

May 26, 2007: Repetitive stress injury from elbow to fingers from handling chains and doing pursing duties.

Dec. 3, 2007: Lower back injury after jumping down from rail to boat deck.

Dec. 7, 2007: While wearing new gloves worker reached up to itch cheek and scratched left eye with plastic stitch of a reflector. The next day woke with eye full of blood.

Feb. 19, 2008: While using traffic wand right shoulder started to hurt. After switching to left shoulder, it also started hurting.

April 29, 2008: While reaching for side mirror on vehicle, left shoulder made noise and hurt.

May 3, 2008: Jumped from apron to deck (about 11/2-foot drop), hurting right foot and lower back.

Aug. 16, 2008: While loading and unloading vehicles, employee maneuvered between cars, twisted around car and tweaked back, resulting in pain down to toes.

Nov. 9, 2008: Passing between two vehicles, bumped hand on debris in truck, resulting in small puncture. Hand later became swollen and tender.

Dec. 31, 2008: While tying up the ship for the night, a line jerked, slamming the employee's arm into a metal rail and breaking the left arm. Lines are oversized for the job and too heavy, employee wrote.