What happened? A crew member suffered severe burns when a Lithium-Ion battery on his person exploded and caught fire. The crew member was about to do the last task […]
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
BSEE: Failure of Crane Hydraulic Boom Cylinders
The US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has published Safety Alert No. 342, regarding two crane failure accidents, identical in incident. Both accidents occurred during operation on a […]
Crisis Management: Rail Industry High Potential Near Miss
“Thirty centimetres of safety” The UK Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has published its report into the detrainment of passengers onto electrically live track near Peckham Rye station on 7 […]
“Don’t forget about gangways” – USCG: Pilot Dies in Gangway Accident
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has published Safety Alert 14-18 regarding a fatal gangway accident. Whilst boarding, the gangway separated from the vessel and two individuals fell into the […]
Glow sticks breaking open – chemical splash risk
What happened? While activating a ‘glow stick’ the casing snapped releasing the glow dye. Our member noted that a number of sticks from the same batch broke open, releasing the […]
Incorrectly weighted Monkey’s Fist
The Marine Safety Forum (MSF) have published Safety Alert 18-22 in which a ‘monkey’s fist’ had been thrown ashore during a mooring process. A quayside boatman reported his concerns on […]
OCIMF: Pilot ladder side rope failure: Unsafe pilot transfer
What happened? During the disembarkation of two pilots from a condensate tanker, the right anterior side rope of a pilot ladder failed. The structural durability of the ladder was visually […]
Grinding using a cutting disc
What happened? Seamen were grinding sea-fastening spots in the hold, and one of them made a complaint to the Chief Officer about the quality of the grinding discs, they could […]
Lost Time Injury (LTI): Fall on Staircase
What happened? A crewman on a vessel lost his balance going down some stairs and fell, resulting in a fractured ankle. His foot got caught in a gap as he […]
Seamanship: Vessel Collision with Fishing Boat
What happened? A vessel was in collision with a fishing boat. The incident occurred in foggy, zero visibility conditions on a ballast voyage. Our members’ vessel was passing through some […]
Inadequate maintenance and securing arrangements of emergency exit hatches
What happened? The port side emergency exit to deck from the steering gear room failed to open during an inspection by shore-side management. In addition, inappropriate locking arrangements (bolt with […]
Control module failure caused main engine sudden reduction to idle speed
What happened? An offshore support vessel (OSV) was underway to field loaded with cargo when a sudden drop of starboard main engine RPM was observed. The main engine dialog screen […]
Life raft self-activates and falls to the quayside
What happened? A life raft self-activated and fell from its cradle from the vessel deck, 8m down onto the barriered quayside bollard area. The weather temperature at the time was […]
Unplanned deployment of free fall lifeboat
What happened? On a vessel alongside there was an unplanned deployment of a free fall lifeboat (FFB), which no-one was aware of. There were no witnesses to the inadvertent launch, […]
Dropped object: first aid injury during ROV maintenance
What happened? A tooling tray guide arm fell from an ROV skid rail slot and hit an ROV technician’s torso. He was beneath the ROV disconnecting the securing pin. Two […]
Two ‘accident advisories’ relating to diver fatalities
The Workplace Safety and Health Council of Singapore (WSHC) has released two ‘accident advisory’ notices relating to two recent diver fatalities. Incident 1: diver struck by falling concrete pile A […]
Fire in the accommodation: electronic items in cabins
What happened? An incident occurred on board a vessel which almost escalated into a serious accommodation fire. A crew member finished his work for the day and returned to his […]
Wire rope sling failed during lifting operations
What happened? The Marine Safety Forum (MSF) has published Safety Alert 18-18 regarding the failure of equipment on an anchor handling vessel (AHV) during chain handling operations. The crew were […]
There’s something in my eye!
What happened? After shift, a member of the crew took a shower and felt that there was something in his eye. The next day he asked for help to remove […]
USCG: two alerts relating to gas releases
What happened? The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has published two recent Safety Alerts relating to unplanned releases of different and unrelated gases. These are: USCG Safety Alert 07/18 During […]
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