The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited a North Carolina shipyard after a towboat worker drowned operating a boat in a storm.

Investigators determined the company allowed employees to attempt a tow during a winter storm state of emergency. The towboat capsized in the weather conditions. Belhaven Shipyard and Marina Inc., doing business as Towboats River Forest received a serious citation for failing to ensure that the employee wore an approved flotation device when working on the water, and for failing to provide a flotation device that was designed for the conditions where the work was to be performed. They received another serious citation for failing to provide employees with a worksite free from hazards, since they allowed workers to engage in non-essential dock work during a state of emergency storm.

“This tragedy never should have happened,” said OSHA Raleigh Area Office Director Kim Morton. “It could have been prevented if the employer had made worker safety a priority and heeded warnings of the state of emergency from an approaching storm.”

The penalties associated with the citations total $11,640.

Read the OSHA release here.