PASCAGOULA, MS — An employee at a Mississippi shipyard has been hurt after an explosion at the facility.
WLOX-TV reports the incident at Ingalls in Pascagoula happened Friday morning.
Ingalls spokesman Bill Glenn says a shipfitter was performing hot work in a unit when the incident happened about 8:30 a.m. Family members tell the television station the employee suffered wounds over 78 percent of his body. Glenn says the employee has been transported to USA Medical Center in Mobile, Alabama, for further care.
A Singing River Health System official says the injured worker was first treated at their facility before being transferred in critical condition.
No other injuries were reported.
Glenn said the facility was open and operating Saturday and the incident remained under investigation.
About Huntington Ingalls
Huntington Ingalls Industries designs, builds and manages the life-cycle of the most complex nuclear and conventionally-powered ships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. For more than a century, HII’s Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HII also provides engineering and project management services expertise to the commercial energy industry, the Department of Energy and other government customers. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs more than 39,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit:
- HII on the web: www.huntingtoningalls.com
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Investigation underway into Ingalls accident which injured employee
Updated on October 21, 2017
By Warren Kulo
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- An investigation has been launched into a Friday morning accident at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula which left one employee critically injured.
Ingalls spokesperson Bill Glenn said Saturday the incident occurred about 8:30 a.m. Friday and involved a shipfitter who was performing "hot work" in a shipyard unit. Shipfitters generally lay out and fabricate metal structural parts, such as plates, bulkheads, and frames, and brace them in position within hull of ship for riveting or welding.
"Ingalls emergency personnel responded to the scene and provided medical assistance," Glenn said in a statement. "The employee has been transported to USA Medical Center in Mobile for further care. The incident is under investigation.
"It is premature to comment any further because the incident is under investigation."
Glenn did not categorize the accident as an "explosion."