Mundane tasks that have always been done a certain way can nonetheless present risks that are invisible to the crew. In a recent Mars Report, a crew member slipped from the manifold grating injuring his finger after this potential hazard had been overlooked.
The incident was (anonymously) featured in Mars Report 201961 in hopes of preventing such accidents from happening. A transcript of what happened:
Two crew from the engine room department were on deck, tasked with preparing the manifold for bunkering. As they were laying out a canvas under the bunker manifold, one of the men stepped backwards and slipped from the manifold grating, which did not have a railing. He fell back towards the deck about one metre below, and instinctively tried to catch himself on the grating. As he did so, his left-hand ring finger was trapped between the gratings, as shown in the simulation photos below. When his weight came on the trapped hand he sustained a cut.
The victim was immediately given first aid. Although minor, this injury could easily have been much worse, even requiring repatriation had the finger been broken.
Lessons Learned
- It is critical to keep one’s situational awareness while performing any task.
- Practising on-site (and on-going) risk assessments to identify all potential hazards at the work site is a key safety behaviour.
- IMO has now defined “safety” as ‘the absence of unacceptable levels of risk’. Is your ship safe?
Mars Reports
This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 201961, that are part of Report Number 324. A selection of this Report has also been published in SWZ|Maritime’s November issue. The Mars Reports are also published on SWZ|Maritime’s website to help prevent maritime accidents.
More reports are needed to keep the scheme interesting and informative. All reports are read only by the Mars coordinator and are treated in the strictest confidence. To submit a report, please use the Mars report form.
