Manhole opened and not correctly closed

What happened?

During a safety round on deck prior to cargo operations it was noticed that a manhole had been opened in order to pump out ballast water to replace a faulty valve.

What went wrong?

The manhole cover or hatch nuts had been completely removed and the cover was only placed back on top and was left completely unsecured. There was no barrier tape nor any warnings placed to indicate that the cover was open and unsecured.

• Bypassing safety controls:
  • Crew did not follow company procedures;
  • No warnings were posted;
  • It did not occur to the crew doing this work to consider the potential risks of persons falling inside or slipping from standing on the manhole cover while so placed and not secure.

Members may wish to refer to

• LTI: step into open deck hatch causes fall [causal factor: the forward hatch was left open when the lifting operations started. There were no barriers around the hatch.]
• Near-miss: Open hatches left without barriers [10 hatches were left open for ventilation without any protection/control measures or any barriers for each hatch.]
• Near miss: engine room hatch left open without barriers [The hatch was not closed when not in use – if the hatch was required to be left open, suitable barricades and warning communication should have been in place.]