When the lights go out
When a fisher took a trip to an unfamiliar vessel during the night, he entered the cabin and could not find the light switch. Proceeding in the pitch black of night he didn’t notice that the manhole cover had been left open and fell right into the open hole. He broke 3 ribs during the event and it took him weeks of recovery off the water before he was able to be back at sea.
Sometimes the biggest incidents can be prevented through minor actions. This is just one example of how small actions lead to a significant injury. Performing regular workplace safety checks, doing vessel inductions, and having robust procedures can prevent a lot of accidents just like this one.
Tips and Tools
It is important to proactively mitigate potential hazards onboard a vessel to ensure a safe working environment. Regular risk assessments should be conducted on the vessel to identify potential risks, such as man-holes potentially being left open. All crew members should be trained to recognise hazards, and understand the four steps of risk assessment:
- Identify hazards
- Consider the risks associated with each hazard
- Control the risks
- Practice, review and document
Vessels should promote a culture of communication, safety, and accountability around incidents through regular reporting and investigations. Incident reports for commercial vessels must be submitted to AMSA within 72 hours. Recreational vessels should be aware of their relevant state or territory maritime safety agency, to report any incidents such as falling through a man-hole. Reporting of this incident could allow for measures to be taken such as hazard assessment or check-listing to ensure manholes are always covered, and for more lighting to be used on vessels overnight.
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