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 […]
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
Finger injury caused by falling wire wedge
What happened? A crewman suffered a crushed finger during an operation to replace a winch wire on a large crane. Two crew members were installing a wire wedge into the […]
Injured finger during cargo operations
What happened? During cargo operations, a crewman got his finger stuck between the cargo and the lifting chain. The incident occurred when a vessel was discharging modules with a weight […]
Lost time injury (LTI): ankle injuries during loading operations
What happened? An experienced AB suffered serious ankle injuries during offloading operations. A vessel was delivering drill pipe casings to a jack-up rig when he was hit by the casing […]
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 […]
LTI: diver injured during water jetting operations
What happened? A saturation diver suffered a lost time injury (LTI) to his left arm during subsea high-pressure water jetting operations. The incident occurred when the water jet gun failed, […]
Fuel spray fire
What happened? The Marine Safety Forum (MSF) have released Safety Alert 18-16, in which a vessel experienced machinery failure which could have resulted in a far more serious outcome. The […]
USCG: bollard failures at marine facilities
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has published Safety Alert 06-18 entitled Don’t Let Your Vessel Get Underway Unexpectedly, regarding bollard failures at marine facilities. The alert covers recent shore […]
Crewman received 415v electric shock
What happened? A crewman received a serious electric shock when his hand brushed two loose wires hanging from the bottom cable entry pop-out of a distribution board. The incident occurred […]
Vessel collision with fixed structure on wind farm
What happened? A vessel collided with the working platform on a wind turbine Transition Piece. The incident occurred during worsening weather conditions. The vessel was on DP, when it was […]
Hangar door failure and collapse
What happened? Whilst a vessel was working, there was a failure and collapse of the moonpool hangar doors. Deck crew were working in the area of the moonpool, when they […]
Accidental activation of expired pyrotechnics (hand flare)
What happened? During a vessel dry dock, smoke was observed coming from a forepeak store, which was also accessible from the mess room. Expired hand flare pyrotechnics, boxed and packed […]
Vessel engine block blown open in and around cylinder
What happened? A severe engine failure occurred during a major vessel overhaul. The connection rod on cylinder #12 parted from the connecting rod cap and punched a hole in the […]
Three fires
Incident 1: Property damage A vessel was carrying two (working and loaded) deep freezers as deck cargo, destined for delivery to a platform. They were stored inside two metal baskets. […]
Stored energy: injury caused by failure of expansion joint in fire-fighting equipment
What happened? During a trial of fire-fighting equipment, a hose expansion joint or bellows failed. The release of pressurized water hit a crewman who was standing nearby, slamming him backward […]
Man overboard: personnel transfers by swing rope and personnel basket
The United States’ Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has published Safety Alert 331 on personnel transfers using swing rope and personnel basket. It relates to a swing rope […]
MSF: three potential near misses during cargo operations
Three recent safety alerts have been released by the MSF, all relating to high potential near misses during cargo operations. One of the incidents is a dropped object near miss […]
Two dropped object near misses
Incident 1 – Wooden block laying in top of main hoist block During a voyage in good weather conditions, the Captain decided that the vessel would sail with the cranes […]
LTI: cut to hand from protruding hose clip (Marine Safety Forum)
The Marine Safety Forum (MSF) has released the below safety alert 18-10. What happened? Not long after a vessel departed port, a crew member suffered a serious cut to his […]
Lost time injury (LTI): fractured elbow – fall injury
What happened? The Chief Officer slipped on a smooth section of ramping deck, landing badly and suffering a fractured elbow. The incident took place at crew change, when the Captain, […]
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