What happened A worker suffered a serious finger injury when his hand got caught between a painter rope under tension and the handrail. The incident occurred during testing of the […]
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
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Safety Events
Near miss: pilot ladder – side rope failed
What happened Whilst undertaking pilot boarding operations during the hours of darkness, a side rope on the pilot ladder parted when it was being weight tested by the pilot. The […]
Diving instructor killed – incorrect valve threads
The Dutch Labour Inspectorate (Nederlandse Arbeidesinspectie) reports an incident in which a diving instructor was killed. The incident is reported here (in Dutch). What happened During a dive, the valve […]
Serious hand injury (MSF)
What happened The MSF reports in Safety Alert 22-12 an incident involving an inadvertent self-inflicted finger injury. This serious injury was sustained while someone was replacing a knife into its […]
Blocked emergency exit hatch
What happened An engine room emergency exit hatch could not be opened. The emergency exit hatch providing egress from the engine room to the vessel’s main deck on the starboard […]
Incorrect gangway rigging
What happened A member reports several cases of gangways being rigged incorrectly. Incident 1 What went wrong What was put right Lessons learned Incident 2 What went wrong A Platform […]
Lost ROV incident
What happened? An ROV got trapped inside the platform structure due to strong tidal current. Subsequently the tether was damaged, and the ROV lost power and telemetry. Attempts to free […]
Umbilical management – near miss
What happened A diver was working with the barge crane to remove two sleepers from under a newly installed 16” x 45 ft (40cm x 13.5m) repair spool. The crane […]
Safety Flashes – a summary of 2022
This is a summary of the 29 IMCA Safety Flashes published during 2022. All the published safety events or incidents are available on the IMCA website as individual web pages […]
Open toed shoes on an escalator (not work related)
What happened A member reports an incident in which someone got their leisure footwear (sandals) caught in an escalator and narrowly escaped a serious injury to their foot. Someone’s right […]
Near miss: load lifted without notice putting crew in the line of fire
What happened During cargo operation at an offshore installation, the deck foreman on the installation noticed that a sling was twisted while starting to heave up a cargo. An AB […]
Dummy hot stab ejected during leak investigation
What happened? A high potential near miss occurred when a dummy hot stab was ejected at 20,000psi. Personnel were out of the direct line of fire but within 1-2 meters […]
Clogged tumble-dryer exhaust fan – potential for fire
What happened During a weekly inspection of the laundry room on a vessel, rags and lint twisted together were found in the exhaust fan of one of the dryers. Further […]
MAIB: Engine room fire flashover
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch Safety Digest 2/2022 includes an incident in which there was a flashover in a vessel engine room. What happened A high speed ferry was on […]
BSEE: Unsafe chemical use and disposal
The United States Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has published Safety Alert #450 relating to several incidents involving the improper use or disposal of chemicals. Incident 1: During […]
Oil tank sight glass push buttons wired open
What happened On a visit to an engine room, a serious bypassing of safety controls was observed. Both top and bottom level check push buttons on an Oil Tank Sight […]
Near miss: pipe dropped from pipe supports
What happened During the cleaning of a section of pipe at a third-party facility, the pipe rolled off the pipe support easels and dropped to the floor. There was no […]
Accidental swallowing of paint thinners
What happened? A crew member thought they were drinking water from a used mineral water bottle and actually drank paint thinners by mistake. The content of the bottle was not […]
MAIB: Worker falls between vessel and quay
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch Safety Digest 2/2022 includes an incident in which a shore worker fell 8m between vessel and quay, suffering significant injuries. What happened A shore worker […]
MAIB: A scalding injury
What happened The Marine Accident Investigation Branch Safety Digest 2/2022 includes an incident in which an engineer suffered severe scalding to his face. The incident occurred during rounds, when a […]
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