Skip to content

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

Select some filters

Fake emergency escape breathing devices (EEBD sets)

The Marine Safety Forum (MSF) has published Safety Flash 11-09 (attached) regarding the discovery of EEBD that are fake copies of the Unitor/MSA type Uniscape 15H. As noted in the […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 03/11


Failure of hydraulic fitting at pressure

A member reports an incident in which a hydraulic fitting failed under pressure. The hydraulic fitting was part of a hydraulic intensifier panel used during live testing of a guillotine […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 03/11

Service bulletin – integrated flywheel generators (IFG)

A member recently reported an electrical fire inside its self-propelled hyperbaric lifeboats (SPHL). Service Bulletin 2010IWP091 (issued by Steyr Motors) was distributed to users at request of Oceanwide Safety at […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 02/11

Serious hand injury during use of deck scaler

A member has reported an incident in which a crew member sustained a serious hand injury while using an air driven deck scaler during maintenance operations on deck. The crew […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 02/11

Kirby Morgan SL 17C partially detached from neck dam

A member has reported that, following the investigation into a recent incident where a diver’s hat (Kirby Morgan SL 17C) became partially detached from the neck dam, the contractor involved […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 02/11

Failure of home-made equipment

The Marine Safety Forum has published safety flash 10/23 regarding an incident in which there was a potentially catastrophic failure of uncertified and ‘home-made’ equipment . a piece of chain […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 01/11

Lifting operations – securing equipment

The Marine Safety Forum has published Safety Flash 11-02 regarding an incident in which, owing to a failure of communication, attempts were made to lift equipment which was still secured […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 01/11

Serious failure of CO₂ fire-fighting system

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has published Alerts 10(a)-10 abd 10(b)-10 regarding the failure of a CO2 fire-fighting system during a fire in a machinery space on board a […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 01/11

Functional safety of control systems

Updated August 2023 The Australian National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (NOPSA) has recently published Safety Alert 45 regarding the functional safety of control systems. This is designed to raise awareness […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 01/11

Inappropriate use of snap hooks

A member has reported that, in spite of efforts to prevent the practice, regular incidents involving the inappropriate use of hooks have continued to occur. A number of incidents have […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 01/11

Broken right hand index finger

A member has reported an incident in which a worker broke the index finger on his right hand. During a maintenance period it became necessary to deballast a methanol tank. […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 01/11

Subsea oxy-arc cutting – risk of explosion

The International Association of Oil & Gas producers (OGP) has published the attached safety flash (OGP safety alert number 227), entitled Subsea oxyarc cutting – risk of explosion. The information […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 08/10

Right hand hit by flying wedge

A member has reported an incident in which a member of the crew was injured when a steel wedge came loose and hit him on the right hand. The injured […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 08/10

Diver safety – nitrox generator use

The Australian National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (NOPSA) has published the attached safety alert (NOPSA safety alert 44). This information can also be found at http://www.nopsa.gov.au/alert/Alert44.pdf.

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 08/10

Failure to calibrate MRU led to near-miss

A member has reported an incident in which a vessel crane made an uncontrolled payout of approximately 27 metres of winch wire. During crane operations to relocate an anode skid […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 08/10

Lacerated chin caused by flying wedge

An incident has been bought to the attention of IMCA, in which a worker received a laceration to the chin. A worker was removing a steel wedge from the frame […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 08/10

Welding of shackles

A member has reported that in spite of clear work instructions and procedures to the contrary, shackles and hooks at the worksite were being regularly modified by welding. Rigging suppliers […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 08/10

Fatality: fall from height

A member has reorted an incident in which a worker was killed, falling 19 meters from a column walkway. The person was a fitter putting in place a final piece […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 07/10

Precautions against jellyfish sting during diving operations

A member has reported that there has recently been a significant increase in the number of jellyfish in areas where previously few jellyfish had been encountered. Apart from the obvious […]

| Included in IMCA Safety Flash 07/10

2255 post(s)