What happened? A person was killed when there was a catastrophic explosive failure of a corroded fire extinguisher. The incident occurred when the person was discharging a corroded handheld cartridge-type, […]
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
Unexpected truck movement caused rigger to fall off a ladder
An unexpected movement of a container loaded truck during disconnection of the container’s rigging, caused a rigger to fall off a ladder leaning against the container. Two containers were being […]
Falls from step ladders
What happened? A member reports two incidents in which persons fell off step ladders and were injured as a result. Incident 1 While climbing back down a ladder from the […]
Deliberate failure to follow instructions: unsafe/quarantined tools brought back into use
What happened? During a routine vessel inspection, crew were observed using a grinder with a selector switch as opposed to a paddle switch, which was contrary to procedures and communication […]
Fall of a suspended load on general cargo vessel ZEA Servant injuring two crew
What happened? The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published an Accident Investigation Report 11/2020 relating to an incident on the general cargo vessel ZEA Servant in Campbeltown, Scotland. […]
Provisions Crane damaged by Main Deck Crane
What happened? During vessel mobilization the boat cradle had to be shifted from centre of the main deck towards the starboard side closer to the accommodation. The Main Crane was […]
Near miss: Lever Hoist Failure
What happened? A lever hoist failed causing a load to descend to deck in an uncontrolled manner. The near miss incident occurred when a set of 1m trenching swords were […]
Near miss: Incorrectly set lifeboat hook
What happened? During a routine launch and recovery drill, the lifeboat crew became concerned that the forward hook was not engaging correctly despite the ‘padlock’ symbol indicating correct closure. With […]
Safe use of FIBC (Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container)
What happened? A FIBC (Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container) containing 36 sand bags weighing approx. 25kg each was being lifted from the quayside to the vessel. As the load was lifted […]
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 […]
Lifting operations: wire hoist rope failure
What happened? When conducting a standard lifting operation of a 24.5te storage vessel and lifting frame (approximately 36% of the crane 70te maximum rated capacity) the wire hoist rope (WHR) […]
Chain hoist failure resulting in a serious near miss
What happened? During maintenance of a vessel’s main engine there was a requirement to remove the charge air cooler weighing 400kg. The third-party contractor who was tasked with the maintenance […]
Lifting operation resulting in dropped objects from flexible intermediate bulk container
What happened? Multiple metal objects were dropped during a lifting operation using a flexible intermediate bulk container (FIBC). It was being used to lift garbage from a below deck stores […]
Two electrical incidents – UK HSE
Here are two recent prosecutions brought by the UK Health and Safety Executive, both relating to inappropriate working arrangements with live power. Incident 1 Two self-employed workers received serious burns […]
Basket snagged on ship’s structure
What happened? The Marine Safety Forum (MSF) has published Safety Alert 19-14 relating to an incident whereby a basket snagged on the ships structure causing damage to the vessel and […]
Wrapped cargo slipped during loading and fell
What happened? A large load weighing over six tonnes was dropped during loading operations. The item was a hot air duct. The centre of gravity (COG) of the load and […]
Failure of life raft securing strap
What happened? A life raft from the starboard forward life raft station made an unplanned deployment into the sea. The incident occurred in early afternoon with calm seas and clear […]
Raising awareness on safety barriers such as railings and gratings
What happened? The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) of Singapore has released Safety Flyer 2019/02 entitled The importance of ensuring proper inspection and maintenance regime. It is intended raise awareness […]
Unsafe boarding during unmooring operation
What happened? A vessel was departing from port when crew found it necessary to remove the mooring lines from the shoreside bollards with no safe un-boarding/boarding arrangements in place – […]
Near miss – diving operations while alongside
What happened? A vessel main engine was started while the divers were in the water, and the engine was immediately shut down again by the bridge. The diver was able […]
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