The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) issued a marine notice to inform of the potential hazards and risks associated with accommodation ladders rigged with unapproved or inadequate secondary means of support arrangements.
AMSA has noted in many cases that the secondary means of support arrangements are inadequate for their intended purpose and in fact introduce unacceptable hazards and risks. Some secondary means of support arrangements have been found to have inadequate load bearing capacity because:
- they are connected to vessel’s cranes or davits with insufficient SWL;
- they are fixed to non-load bearing parts of the accommodation ladder and vessel structure;
- the tensile strength of ropes, wires, pullies and fittings is inadequate
Some arrangements are not easily adjustable and add a further risk to safety when the accommodation ladder is lowered or raised to compensate for draught changes or due to tidal variation.
There are often no policies, procedures or instructions contained in the safety management system for the use and maintenance of the secondary means of support arrangements and crew have been unable to demonstrate proficiency in the use of these arrangements.
For example, a seaman suffered a serious eye injury after being struck in the face by a natural fibre rope, which was being used as a secondary means of support. The seaman was lowering the accommodation ladder but neglected to disconnect the rope, which parted under the weight of the accommodation ladder and recoiled violently. In another case, a person on the accommodation ladder was nearly pitched into the sea when it became very unstable as a result of not being supported by the appropriate hoisting wires.
In these examples, the secondary means of support were inadequate to support the weight of the accommodation ladder and therefore only introduced hazards while not providing an additional safety measure.
Recommendations
- AMSA does not require the fitting of secondary means of support to accommodation ladders and encourages vessel owners, operators and masters to seek advice from their Administration prior to fitting such arrangements.
- AMSA does not object, in principle, to a secondary means of support that is properly designed and fit for purpose. A risk assessment of any secondary means of support arrangements should be undertaken onboard according to the vessel’s safety management system.
- Procedures for the fitting, maintenance and operation of the secondary means of support arrangements should be included in safety management system procedures and crew should be inducted and trained in the use of these arrangements.
Explore more herebelow:
