POOR ACCOMMODATION LADDER CONDITION LEADS TO INJURY
WHAT HAPPENED? While boarding the vessel via a combination ladder, the visiting ABS surveyor hurt his left shoulder and wrist.
WHAT IMMEDIATE ACTIONS WERE TAKEN? 1. The starboard combination ladder was secured. 2. The surveyor was transferred to the ship’s hospital and given medical assistance. 3. Immediate (temporary) repairs were made to the railing with permanent repairs completed thereafter WHAT REMEDIAL ACTIONS HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED? 1. Permanent repairs completed. 2. Incident will be shared with the fleet to raise awareness. 3. Fleet cell to reinforce the importance of procedure 8.6.2 “Transfer by Launch”. LESSONS LEARNT/ EXPERIENCE SHARING 1) T hat the quality of the regular inspection of the accommodation ladder must be improved. 2) T here was a lack of assertiveness on the part of the crew in requesting the surveyor to wait until the pilot ladder was properly secured. The crew did not exercise ‘Stop Work Authority’ 3) V MS procedure 8.2.6 ‘Transfer by Launch’ was not adhered to. CONCLUSION This is a classic case where the safety barriers were made ineffective by lack of proper inspection of the accommodation ladder where the crack was not identified. There was also another crack on the same railing, also with steel putty on it. The improper securing of the pilot ladder and the improper technique employed by the surveyor in boarding via the combination ladder. The crew did not exercise ‘Stop Work’ Procedure. Even if one of these barriers had been effective, this accident may not have happened.
WHY DID IT HAPPEN? The cause of this accident was a combination of 3 issues : 1. The starboard accommodation ladder already had a crack which was ‘repaired’ by applying steel putty on it. The crack was on the inboard railing about 2.5 to 3 meters from the lower platform. None of the current officers or crew had any knowledge of it.
2. The pilot ladder was not secured to the ship’s hull. The ladder was initially secured to the hull. The starboard combination ladder was used for pilot boarding/disembarkation, bunker surveyors, and agents without any issues. The ABS surveyor’s launch had a low freeboard and hence the crew were requested to lower the ladder by another meter. The crew obliged but before they could re-secure the ladder, the surveyor started coming up. The crew did not exercise ‘Stop Work’ procedure. 3. Improper technique of the surveyor in transferring from the pilot ladder to the accommodation ladder. With only his torso above the lower platform level of the accommodation ladder, the surveyor had grabbed and pulled the accommodation railing (inboard side) rope (Tiger rope) to transfer his weight from the pilot ladder. Because the railing already had a crack, it gave way. This caused the railing to partially collapse thus causing the pilot ladder to swing backwards since it was not secured to the hull. This swing caused undue stress on the left arm of the surveyor which caused the injury.
14 SEAS MAGAZINE // ISSUE 5
Made with FlippingBook Proposal Creator