The Supreme Court has agreed to use a dispute over a fatal explosion on an oil-drilling barge to clarify the extent of worker-safety regulation on vessels such as barges and fishing boats.
The court said it will hear the government’s argument that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has the authority to issue comprehensive rules for worker safety on such vessels.
Government lawyers say a lower court left thousands of employees unprotected from safety risks by ruling that less-extensive Coast Guard safety regulations canceled out the OSHA rules.
Four people died in a June 1997 explosion on a drilling barge on a swamp in St. Martin Parish, La. The explosion occurred while crew members tried to regain control of the well after a blowout.
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jwthompson@tribune.com
