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 […]
Safety Flashes
IMCA safety flashes disseminate important information on incidents and potential hazards and the lessons learnt from them that can help prevent incidents occurring elsewhere in the industry.
Individual safety events are available individually online, tagged and searchable, while the traditional PDF collections are also available for download.
Submit a Report
All members are encouraged to contribute relevant safety-related information – please visit our Safety Flash Reporting page for details on the submission process.
IMCA Contact
Nicholas Hough
Consultant - Safety and Security
Contact
Safety Events
MSF: Potential dropped objects – nets or tarps to cover cargo?
What happened? Marine Safety Forum Safety Alert 20-04 describes a potential dropped object (PDO) during cargo operations. A wooden baton of the type often used to support covers attached to […]
High potential incident: gantry hoist failure
What happened? An electrically powered gantry hoist failed whilst under load dropping cargo and lifting equipment to deck. The incident occurred during a lift of 500kg of palletised provisions onto […]
Leg entanglement from Tag Line during cargo operations
What happened? An AB got his leg entangled with a tag line during lifting operations. The incident occurred when a vessel was alongside a rig offloading cargo. The AB attached […]
USCG: Automatic identification system (AIS) inaccuracies led to fatalities
The United States Coastguard (USCG) has published Safety Alert 04-20 relating to an incident where a causal factor in a number of fatalities was incorrect information entered into vessel AIS […]
Crewman fatally injured while stood on the stern ramp of Seatruck Progress
What happened? The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published Accident Investigation Report 10/2020 into the death of the Third Officer of Seatruck Progress, when he was struck and […]
Man overboard from stinger
What happened? A member of the crew fell overboard through an opening in the stinger. The incident occurred with the vessel alongside in port. A team of three electricians were […]
Trip and fall down hotel stairs causing serious wrist injury
What happened? Whilst engaged in business travel, an employee of one of our members slipped and fell when descending a hotel staircase. He sustained multiple fractures and dislocation of the […]
Fall from a height into a ballast tank
What happened? A worker inside a ballast tank fell from height. The incident happened when a welder and two welder helpers were installing additional stiffeners on the inside of […]
Serious injury caused by high-pressure washer
What happened? A work team supervisor sustained a laceration to his upper right thigh caused by a high-pressure water jet. The injury required several stitches and the injured party was […]
UK HSE: Workers injured by unplanned release of mud slurry
What happened An electricity power station company was prosecuted after three contractors were injured by a sudden release of water and sludge, while carrying out maintenance work. Three crew were […]
Fall from the quayside into water
Whilst slinging a palleted water bag (load), a third-party contract worker who was assisting in the operation fell approximately 3 metres from the quayside into the water. The original, risk-assessed […]
Sewage spilled onto the quayside
30-40 litres of sewage water was spilled onto the quayside during a transfer operation from vessel to sewage truck. There was no discharge into the sea due to a contained […]
Ignited hand sanitiser
What happened? Someone got his hands burnt when alcohol based hand sanitiser caught fire. The person was using alcohol based hand sanitiser as recommended during the Corona pandemic. The person […]
LTI: worker lost his thumb
What happened? During drilling operations, a worker got his thumb caught under a part of a drill being lowered into position, resulting in the amputation of the thumb just above […]
Fire in engine room and subsequent collision with structure on transport barge
What happened? During the tow of a structure to location, a fire occurred in the engine room of the tow tug. This led to a blackout resulting in a collision […]
UK HSE: worker fell into lift shaft – safety controls bypassed
What happened? The UK HSE prosecuted a company after a 34-year-old employee was moving a loaded lift trolley in the tool department of a hangar when he fell into the […]
Agitator started moving during mud tank cleaning – leading to injury
What happened? An agitator in a mud tank started up when an employee of a third-party contractor working in the tank was in the way. He was hit by the […]
Worker fell from height and suffered life changing injuries
What happened? A worker was paralysed from the waist down when he fell 3.4 metres to the bottom of a ships hold. A 28-year-old worker, a stevedore employed to unload […]
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 […]
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