What happened? During anchor handling operations, one anchor was on deck and crew were required to connect a wire socket to the anchor by using a shackle. The wire socket […]
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
Arm injury whilst using pillar drill
What happened? The Marine Safety Forum (MSF) reports another incident wherein a crew person was injured following misuse of a pillar drill. Crew were in the process of using a […]
Failure of steel wire sling
What happened? During offshore wind farm construction, pull wires were being laid. One small vessel was acting as a winch vessel, and another as an anchor. These vessels were connected […]
Load exceeding safe working load (SWL) leads to overstressed and damaged rigging
What happened? During a recent decommissioning operation, shears were used to cut a pipeline. The shear tool was rigged to the crane in a vertical fashion. The shear tool was […]
Two cases of contaminated drinking water
What happened? Actions taken Vessel fresh water tanks should be regularly inspected and cleaned; Drinking water bottles should not be re-used; Arranged for proper and scheduled cleaning of fresh water […]
Fires on materials made of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP)
What happened? A member reports that serious fires have broken out on vessels with fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) materials. They appear to have been caused by overheating of the FRP from […]
Lost time injury – person slipped on the stairs and broke his arm
What happened? A member of the engine room team suffered a serious injury to his left forearm while carrying a pail of lubrication oil from the steering flat to the […]
Bow thruster room flooded during fresh water transfer operation
What happened? A vessel’s bow thruster room was flooded during fresh water transfer operations. The plan was to complete receiving fresh water in Tank No. 2 Centre first before moving […]
Potential engine room flooding: maintenance and equipment failure issues on a laid-up vessel
What happened? A seawater cooling line failed during planned maintenance on a vessel in “cold” lay-up. An engineer and an AB were conducting planned maintenance on vessels in “cold” lay-up. […]
Two industrial vehicle incidents
Though these two incidents do not pertain to the marine environment, the underlying issues involved – traffic management and separation, planning and safe systems of work, risk assessment, work at […]
Four hand and finger injury incidents
Incident 1 – Company fined after exposing workers to Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) What happened? The HSE is reminding companies of the necessity of monitoring workers’ health after an […]
Worker suffers life changing injury after pressure test failure
What happened? The UK HSE advises that three companies were sentenced after an employee suffered serious fractures to his leg. An employee of one company was taking part in a […]
Self-employed diver sentenced for falsifying diving medical certificate
What happened? A man has been sentenced after supplying falsified diving medical certificates to a diving company in 2016. A Magistrates’ Court heard that this individual did not hold a […]
Near miss: Water bottles reused for fuel storage
What happened During a vessel inspection, plastic water bottles were discovered being reused to store diesel on board a fast rescue craft (FRC). There was no proper labelling or means […]
Unlabelled containers: Chemicals stored in drinking water bottles
What happened One of our members has noted a trend of chemicals being decanted into unlabelled clear plastic water bottles of the sort commonly used for drinking water, and persons […]
Dropped object: Window fell from crane cabin
What happened A window came loose from the crane operator’s cabin on a DSV, and fell approximately 4m to deck. No one was injured. It happened when, during a pause […]
USCG: Remain upright by fully understanding vessel stability
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has published Safety Alert 11-17 relating to vessel stability and watertight integrity. Recently, a marine casualty involving a fishing vessel in the Bering Sea […]
Loss of tow and subsequent foundering of two vessels
What happened The Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board (DMAIB) published a Marine accident report on Mærsk Battler’s loss of tow and the foundering of Mærsk Searcher and Mærsk Shipper in […]
Finger injury: What happens when you DON’T use the right tool for the right job
What happened A crewman attempted to remove the impeller from a fire pump using a hammer and punching rod. While he was hammering, a steel splinter of the punching rod […]
Near miss: Worker in dockyard almost struck by a ‘cherry picker’ crane
What happened A member reports a near miss incident in which a worker was almost hit by a ‘cherry picker’ mobile crane. Whilst walking to a dry dock, a shipyard […]
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