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Crewman struck by sling during anchor handling operations

An anchor had been transferred from one vessel to another. The crane operator slacked the sling so that it could be disconnected from the anchor. Two crewmen were walking towards the sling to disconnect it. As they were doing so, the stern of the vessel suddenly moved downwards caused by the moderate swell. As a result the attached sling was tightened very rapidly. The sling struck one of the crewmen against the upper part of his body pushing him and his colleague across the deck.

What went wrong:

  • Adverse sea conditions. Sea conditions created a sudden big downward movement of the vessel;
  • Lack of situational awareness/risk perception – the injured person proceeded too soon towards the sling, and might have avoided injury by waiting a moment to take time and assess the situation.

In this case the contractor changed procedures and required rigging crew to wear and use helmets with head-set communication to the bridge, providing better environmental awareness and support from the bridge in cases like this where alerts of extreme wave movements could be provided.

Safety Event

Published: 2 October 2015
Download: IMCA SF 14/15

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