Slips, trips, and falls, including falls between vessel and wharf and falls overboard, are common everyday hazards that can lead to serious injury or death. They often happen during routine work such as moving across a wet deck, stepping over lines, boarding or leaving the vessel, working at night, or working while fatigued. Because they are so common, they can become seen as just part of the job until a serious injury or drowning occurs.

These risks are immediate and physical, and are strongly influenced by human factors such as fatigue, time pressure, poor lighting, weather exposure, footwear and protective gear, housekeeping, and how crews move and work around equipment.

Slips, trips, and falls also show how strong a vessel’s safety practices are. They reflect whether there is good housekeeping, realistic work pace, and clear expectations around lifejacket use and man overboard prevention, rather than relying only on experience or luck.