On Thursday, a man in his 60s died after a work accident at Kleven Verft in Ulsteinvik. On Friday, the police and the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority are inspecting the shipyard.
The man died after being hit by a heavy metal object that came loose from a crane.
In a press release, Green Yard Kleven writes that they confirm with great sadness that they have lost a good and experienced colleague.
– Our thoughts go primarily to the next of kin who have lost a dear family member, says general manager Hans Jørgen Fedog in Green Yard Kleven in the press release.
– This is also a dark day for the entire Green Yard family. We have lost a colleague who was well liked by all, and I would like to commend our staff for the way they have looked after each other following the accident. We are all in shock and grief, and we will now prioritize assisting our employees. We will work through the grief together in the tough times that lie ahead of us, continues Fedog.
– Absolutely awful
Mayor Knut Erik Engh says that Ulstein municipality has set up a care preparedness group to look after those involved. It consists, among other things, of the municipal manager, municipal chief medical officer, parish priest and professionals from the healthcare system.
– The doctor who rushed out and took part in resuscitation attempts conducted a debriefing on the spot among the colleagues who were closest, says Engh to VG.
He says that it is a challenging situation for the municipality, but that they are working to look after both the relatives and colleagues of the deceased in the best possible way. He says that the municipality has had a close dialogue with the shipyard after the incident.
Kleven Verft is considered a cornerstone company in the municipality, which has around 8,700 inhabitants.
– People think this is absolutely terrible. Even if you don’t necessarily know the person in question, everyone knows someone who has relations with him. In addition, there are other people who have been involved in the accident, who must also be taken care of, says Engh.
Inspection Friday
The Norwegian Labor Inspectorate’s section leader in the West, Jan Petter Sæbø, tells VG that as of Friday morning they are inspecting the shipyard.
– Today, together with the police, we get an overview of what happened. In any case, it is too early to draw any conclusions. It is also special with a fatal accident, because then the company often has different follow-up than we have to do, says Sæbø.
– In the first round, it is important to get an overview and obtain information from the business. There are a number of different things we collect, such as routines, guidelines and risk assessments that have been taken in relation to this assignment, Sæbø continues.
Released from faucet
The health service was notified of the incident at 10.34am on Thursday. The police were notified at 11.27am.
– There is a heavy metal object that has come loose from a large mobile crane in connection with a lifting operation, it has hit the person concerned and he was declared dead on the spot, operation manager Jens Dahl in the Møre og Romsdal police district told VG on Thursday.
– Is it suspected that the load on the crane was not secured well enough?
– It will be speculation, and it is too early to say anything about. The investigation will show that, answered.
VG has again been in contact with the police in Møre and Romsdal, who have no opportunity to comment on the case on Friday.
The man was a resident of the area, and the next of kin have been notified following the death.
