Longshoreman Killed at Cosco Terminal

A longshoreman working at the Port of Long Beach’s Cosco Terminal was crushed by a falling cargo container just before 7 pm Jan. 20, according to police.

Authorities say that Steven Saggiani, 47, of Long Beach, was working loading and unloading containers on the deck of an unidentified ship at Pier J when an eight-ton, 40-foot container fell 200 feet and crushed him.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Patricia Ortiz, a spokeswoman with the California Occupational Safety and Health Program, commonly known as Cal-OSHA, told the Long Beach Press-Telegram, that Saggiani was working as the ship’s boss when one of the containers twisted, fell off a stack, then struck Saggiani as he and other workers fled.

Because Saggiani was on the ship and the crane was on the dock, the incident is being investigated by both Cal-OSHA and its federal equivalent, Ortiz told the newspaper.

An investigation could take anywhere from two to six months, Ortiz said.