Near miss: engine room hatch left open without barriers
What happened?
During routine maintenance, it was reported that the engine room hatch was left open with no physical barriers around, creating the potential for serious injury if distracted persons were to fall down the hatches.
What went wrong?
A crew member who was on the deck left the area for an urgent task forgetting to implement the control measures identified. [IMCA italics]
What were the causes?
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.
What were the recommendations? What actions were taken?
A safety meeting was conducted emphasising the potential fall hazards and the requirement to STOP WORK when unsafe conditions are identified.
Members may wish to refer to two incidents highlighting the importance of not forgetting and not getting distracted:
- Two near miss incidents with a risk of scalding[lesson learnt: crew on-board had already acknowledged the hazard, but the learning had not been implemented into daily work and routines. Constant reminders are required as time goes by, basic safety issues could easily be forgotten.]
- Near miss: onboard O₂ bottle leaked into diving bell [what went wrong: the Bellman got distracted during bell pre-dive checks…]
Safety Event
Published: 31 March 2020
Download: 
IMCA SF 12/20
IMCA Safety Flashes
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