Crewman suffers cut to hand – but gloves prevented it being much worse

A member has reported an incident in which someone suffered a cut to the hand whilst steadying himself. The incident occurred during a dropped object sweep on the Tether Management System (TMS) in the ROV hangar. The system was split so the TMS was approximately 30 cm off the deck. A crewman stepped down from the TMS but slipped off the outer rim of the TMS. He put his left hand out to control his fall which came in contact with the sharp edge of a cut .Jubilee. Clip. His glove was sliced through and his left palm had a wound of 2-3cm in length.

The following actions were taken:

• The Jubilee Clip was immediately removed and the system was checked for any other similar clips in the same cut condition;
• All ends of the Jubilee Clips were secured – all other ROV and Trenching systems were checked for cut Jubilee Clips which were appropriately dealt with.

Our member noted the following:

• His gloves prevented the cut from being deeper and wider, which would probably have lacerated his tendons with possible surgery and rehabilitation, leading to months off work and lost income;
• While every effort needs to be made to increase awareness and mitigate risks of this nature, we can never guarantee a hazard-free work environment;
• This incident is a perfect illustration of why the use of PPE – in this case, appropriate gloves – for the task is mandatory. The correct gloves for the task will prevent or greatly reduce the severity of a hand injury at work.

Members may wish to refer to the following incidents (search word: cut hand):

• Two recent cases of hand and arm injuries
• Routine task: Badly cut finger changing mop head
• ‘Routine’ task, non-routine result: Finger injury during welding

Members should be aware that IMCA has a pocket card covering hand safety – Watch your hands.