Working at height in and around cargo holds Introduction taken to ensure personal safety 4) Rigging a safety net where and so the Club recommends necessary and appropriate. A recent Club review of crew referring to the Code of Safe injury and death claims Working Practises for Merchant 5) Take care to avoid risks to highlights the dangers of falling seamen (COSWP). In particular: anyone working or moving from height when working in below. Handle tools with care cargo holds. In the 2010-2012 1) Ensure the work is properly and particularly when hands underwriting years there were planned, including carrying out are cold or greasy and where two such fatalities and a risk assessment, appropriately the tools themselves might be investigations showed they supervised and carried out in as greasy. should both have been safe a manner as practicable. avoidable. 2) Only done by experienced Case study 1: There are many reasons why people or, if not, then be In 2010 a ‘Panamax’ bulk crew need to enter cargo holds. accompanied by an experienced carrier was in ballast off the For instance, on general cargo person. Australian coast when a deck ships it may be necessary to 3) Only done by people wearing fitter and an ordinary seaman inspect the cargo lashings or were repairing the hold access test the hold bilges. However, a safety harness with lifeline or ladder platform handrails. This on bulk carriers all residues other such arresting device at work, carried out with portable from a previous cargo will need all times. Lifelines are to be lights when the hatch covers to be removed before the next attached to a strong point were closed, involved removing loading and so in an empty above to reduce the fall height. the damaged sections of hold the height from the hatch The equipment should be handrails and welding coaming to tank top can be tested periodically and checked before being used. replacement sections. large. After removing a damaged Recommendations section from the middle platform the two men stopped Vessel crews should remember for a lunch break and that when working at height it afterwards returned to the hold may not be possible to give to fit the new section. The fitter their full attention to the job entered the hold first and they are doing and at the same descended to the middle time guard themselves against platform after which the falling. This means that proper ordinary seaman, who was still precautions should always be on deck preparing to lower the tools down, lost sight of the RA 37 – January 2014 - One of a series of Steamship Mutual Loss Prevention Bulletins produced by the Ship Safety Trust Page 1 of 2 For further information please contact the Loss Prevention Department, Steamship Insurance Management Services Ltd., Tel: +44 20 7247 5490; Email: [email protected] Web: www.steamshipmutual.com/loss-prevention-and-safety-training.html fitter. Shortly afterwards the operating the hold cleaning fitter fell from the middle davit and winch. platform to the tank top. Further information Despite a prompt medical Work was proceeding well deviation the fitter died from until, after removing one lift For further information, his injuries before he could from the hold and preparing to please check the below be evacuated. lower the empty bucket back websites: down again, the winch wire An investigation showed that jammed in the sheave at the http://www.dft.gov.uk/m even though the fitter was davit head. ca/cos wp2010.pdf wearing a safety helmet and Rather than keep the davit over harness the helmet was not the deck and use a portable fitting tightly and the harness ladder to reach the sheave the http://www.dft.gov.uk/m lifeline was not hooked on to a Bosun placed the davit over strong point. It appears that ca/mg n410.pdf the hatch coaming and then the fitter did not connect the climbed on the coaming. The safety harness before stepping Bosun did not use a safety off the ladder on to the harness and, unfortunately, platform. In lost his balance and fell about the semi-darkness he fell from For further information on this or 25 metres to the tank top other Loss Prevention topics please the platform where the where he died. contact the Loss Prevention handrail had been removed Department, Steamship Insurance before the lunch break. Even though he was an Management Services Ltd. experienced seafarer the Bosun Tel: +44 20 7247 5490 chose not to take even the Email: [email protected] simplest precautions. Perhaps he thought he would only be on the coaming for a few seconds; perhaps bringing the portable ladder would have taken a few minutes; perhaps the safety harness was in a deck store near the Case Study 2: accommodation. Whatever the reason the outcome did not The deck crew of a ‘Capesize’ justify any of them. bulk carrier were all involved in hold cleaning while on a deep sea passage in the Indian Ocean. The weather was good with the vessel rolling only 2° or 3°. Several crew were sweeping cargo residues, some were shovelling it into buckets and the Bosun was on deck RA 37 – January 2014 - One of a series of Steamship Mutual Loss Prevention Bulletins produced by the Ship Safety Trust Page 2 of 2 For further information please contact the Loss Prevention Department, Steamship Insurance Management Services Ltd., Tel: +44 20 7247 5490; Email: [email protected] Web: www.steamshipmutual.com/loss-prevention-and-safety-training.html .