Japan’s largest shipbuilding group, Imabari Shipbuilding, has suffered a major safety accident, leaving several people injured!
At around 11:56 a.m. on July 12, an accident occurred at Imabari Shipbuilding’s Marugame Factory in Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture, during ship assembly work. During the work, one of the ship blocks suddenly collapsed, injuring seven male workers aged between their teens and 30s.
Fortunately, no one was killed in the accident.
According to local police, among the seven injured, a 22-year-old male worker suffered fractures in his pelvis and other parts of his body, and another 33-year-old male worker suffered a fractured heel bone and was in a serious condition. Among the remaining five people, one was suspected to have a broken arm, and four suffered contusions or sprains.
Currently, local police are investigating the circumstances and cause of the accident.
On July 15, Imabari Shipbuilding disclosed details of the “Marugame Factory Accident” on its official website.
According to the announcement, at the time of the accident, workers were using a crane to lift a 23.6m x 5.1m x 2.5m hull block and placed it on a 23.6m x 8.1m x 2.5m block to assemble the two blocks. When the hoist was removed, for some reason the entire hull block began to tilt and eventually collapsed. As a result, seven employees working on the hull block fell or were thrown out and injured.
Imabari Shipbuilding extends its sincere sympathy to those injured in the accident and apologizes for the great inconvenience and concern caused to those involved.
Imabari Shipbuilding said it will fully cooperate with the investigation of the relevant authorities and will take the seriousness of this accident seriously. The entire company will work together to prevent similar accidents from happening again.