Hot work whilst working at height in a confined space – job was stopped

What happened

During a site visit to a vessel, it was observed that a  third-party contractor’s welder was standing on the wooden platform (the actual height was over 1.80m) inside a confined space (a ballast tank) doing some flame-cutting jobs. No fall protection guards were installed around the worker, not was the worker wearing fall arrest equipment.

The job was stopped immediately and a temporary alternative working method was arranged where the worker wore a full body harness attached to with an inertia  reel to a tripod.

What went wrong

• The personnel authorizing these activities – working at height doing hot work within a confined space:
  • Made no Permit to Work application for hot work nor for working at height nor for working in a confined space;
  • Did not conduct a review of the risk assessment for the task in hand;
• Inadequate supervision: there was no proper Control of Work by vessel crew or management at the site before the job started, and no ongoing verification of safe working as the job continued;
• There was a lack of hazard appreciation and risk perception by the persons involved; it took someone coming in from outside, observing the job, to actually stop it. 
• It was easy to work unsafely: crew members misunderstood differing internal company procedural requirements for working at height;
• Various hazards were not recognised at all. Had the worker fallen within the tank, protruding metal elements meant that there was high potential for a very serious injury.

Actions taken locally

• Reiteration of importance of thorough Risk Assessment, Permit to Work process, and Control of Work, including regular monitoring;
• Ensured more robust control of Working at Height activities and prioritized availability of engineering controls (e.g. a scaffolding platform).

Members may wish to refer to:

• Fall from a height into a ballast tank
• SIMOPS – Smoke from hot work task enters confined space