Fraser Shipyards of Superior in Wisconsin is facing a lawsuit from a worker alleging he suffered lead poisoning because of the company’s unsafe practices.
The lawsuit is being brought in US District Court in Madison, Wisconsin, on behalf of a welder and ship fabricator named James Holder who claims he was exposed to toxic levels of lead while he worked on a freighter at the yard earlier this year.
Holder is claiming $75,000 in damages and similar lawsuits by other claimants are in the works.
He worked at Fraser for a subcontracting firm and his tasks included cutting out old steel with a torch, which entailed burning through paint.
Holder’s suit maintains that the defendants (who also include Interlake Steamship Company, and Northern Engineering Company) knew or should have known that there was lead paint on surfaces of the freighter Herbert C Jackson on which Holder and others worked.
Holder has been diagnosed with lead poisoning.
Fraser Shipyard, in business since 1890 has become primarily a yard for maintenance and repair work.
