Hurt While Working Offshore? You Still Have Rights Fight for Them

Maritime claims

The Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act. Never heard of it, right? Well, unless you are directly related to it somehow, then there is a good chance that you never have heard of it, nor ever will.

The Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act has been established in order to protect the workers in those jobs (about 500,000) who are injured on the job, or who happen to contract an occupational disease, while working in the navigable waters, or the adjoining areas, of the United States. The Merchant Seamen Protection and Relief Act of 1920 is virtually the same thing. It is a law that was designed to provide the same kind of protection to any type of marine worker, including longshoremen or seamen. The cases brought to court concerning these acts are referred to as maritime claims. These are made by anyone working offshore on a sea faring vehicle such as any boats or cargo ships, or on oil platforms. It also includes those individuals who work on the shore at locations such as docks, riverways and sea terminals.

A Dba attorney is one who handles cases concerning the Defense Base Act. DBA lawyers represent those longshoremen and harbor workers seeking compensation. All of these folks are considered contractors, usually not working for set companies all of the time. They will accept a contract to do a job and then move on to the next contract, wherever it may be, from whoever may need it. While there are thousands of contractors who work just off of our shores doing things such as shipping cargo, fishing and working oil rigs, the most contractors from the United States are actually out of the country. In 2011, contractors filled over half of the ranks of the workforce that the Department of Defense employed to send over to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Regardless of where you work, if you are a contractor, your rights and compensation are protected. Thanks to laws like the Longshore and harbor workers compensation act, you can be assured that you are protected under the law.

19 thoughts on “Hurt While Working Offshore? You Still Have Rights Fight for Them


  1. i do not really understand why it is so confusing, that some people think that, just because an accident occurs in international waters, that they do not get any rights. if they are working for a legitimate US based company, they get the rights, right?

  2. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  3. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  4. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  5. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  6. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  7. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  8. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  9. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  10. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  11. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  12. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  13. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  14. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  15. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  16. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

  17. well, i think that in some instances it is more that the companies are trying to get away without having to provide compensation and they use the claim of international waters as a scapegoat to get out any responsibility

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