What happened? Whilst tidying a mobile office (freight) container, an employee sustained a mild electric shock by inadvertently touching an exposed live electrical cable which was obscured by several boxes […]
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
High potential near miss: Nitrogen hose failure during transfer of gas
What happened? As nitrogen gas was being transferred from the pipelay tower accumulators to storage bottles located within the pipelay HPU room, the pipelay supervisor noticed a sudden drop in […]
Fire in welding fumes extraction system
What happened? In a shore-based workshop facility, the filters inside a welding fume extraction unit ignited whilst in operation. On investigating an initial smell of burning, smoke was seen escaping […]
Emergency Lithium battery failed catastrophically in a diving bell
What happened? During regular planned maintenance, a 24V DC emergency Lithium battery pack in a diving bell activated and failed catastrophically causing an explosion and small fire. There were no […]
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 […]
Near miss/positive: Internal O-ring seal found damaged on fuel system
What happened? In a vessel alongside, a new fuel gas cylinder was connected to a gas-powered forklift truck. When the delivery valve was opened gas leaked from the connection between […]
Positive: STOP WORK by Master challenging Sailing Order
What happened? A Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) received sailing orders. All the cargo, with the exception of one item, was for one platform; the exception was a radioactive container for […]
Safe embarkation and disembarkation of Marine Pilots
What happened? During the embarkation of the Pilot to the vessel, the Pilot observed that a step on the Pilot ladder was not in good condition (broken). The Pilot implemented […]
Hull damage caused oil leakage from settling tank
What happened? On a member’s vessel, the starboard forward Marine Gas Oil (MGO) settling tank was punctured during berthing operations. The vessel was requested to move berth about 150 metres […]
Use of face masks designated KN95
The UK HSE (Health and Safety Executive) has issued the following notice regarding the use of face masks designated KN95. The full notice can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/safetybulletins/use-of-face-masks-designated-kn95.htm A substantial […]
Safety performance in the offshore renewable energy industry
The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has written to a number of trade bodies representing the offshore renewable energy industry, including IMCA, expressing concern “that in some sectors of […]
Cargo Ignited on Truck Bed During Transportation
What happened? There was a fire in the cargo on the back of a truck whilst moving materials from the warehouse to the vessel. Whilst in transit, the driver observed […]
Member of the public killed following unplanned movement of an unsecured load
What happened? The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) fined a company after it caused the death of a child when he was trapped between an unsecured pole and a […]
Person injured when leg slipped through floor hatch
What happened? During routine inspection of an engine room, someone slipped thro ugh a loose floor hatch plate and sustained a cut wound about 3 cm on the shin of his […]
LTI: Loss of fingertip and nail
What happened? While crew were moving lashing materials (chains, shackles and turnbuckles) from the garage deck into a storage space, the bosun suffered a serious finger injury. The incident occurred […]
Hydraulic sample extruder – finger laceration
What happened? Whilst using a hydraulic sample extruder in a laboratory, the technician caught and injured his finger between the Shelby tube and extruder ram while trying to stabilise the […]
Finger injury caused by incorrectly secured console cover
What happened? An incorrectly secured console cover closed in an unplanned and unexpected way, trapping a crew member’s finger, which was injured. After completing a task on a raised working […]
And finishing on a positive note: A CPR success story – “we saved a life that day”
What happened? An IMCA member reports that a crew member suffered several cardiac arrests in front of his crew mates. Immediately CPR was started, and the medic was alerted. The […]
MOB fatality: person fell between vessel and jetty
What happened? The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published Accident Investigation Report 09/2020 into the death of the Master of dredging vessel Cherry Sand when he was crushed […]
MOB fatality from multi-cat
What happened? A member reports a man overboard fatality which occurred from a multi-cat engaged in shallow water construction in an inshore environment. The task involved recovery and re-arrangement of […]
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