Hong Kong Merchant Shipping Information Note
A sailor while working on board a Hong Kong registered ship fell at a height of about threemetres into the cargo hold during hold cleaning operation. He sustained serious injury anddied later in the hospital. The Hong Kong Marine Department issued Information Note regarding this accident in order to draw the attention of the ship owners, shipmanagers, ship operators, masters, officers and crew on the lessons learnt in the accident.
The Incident
The accident happened on board a Hong Kong registered general cargo ship while thecrew were carrying cargo holds cleaning while the vessel was at berth.
In the process of cleaning a cargo hold, a sailor climbed up a ladder to a height ofabout three metres above the tank top of the cargo hold. While he was trying to secure his lifelineto the metal ring on the bulkhead that was about one meter away, he fell down from the ladder ashe performed this action. The sailor was sent to the hospital for medical treatment andsubsequently passed away.
The Cause
The investigation revealed that the main contributory factor to the accident was relatedto the working attitude and safety awareness of the sailor. The sailor should stop working underunsafe condition. He should only resume his action after the ladder was relocated closer to thering and could allow him to secure his lifeline safely without having to reach out extensively tocompleting this action.
Lesson Learnt
Shipowners, ship managers, ship operators, masters, officers and crew should observethe safe working practice of working at height. Do not take short cuts that may affect theirsafety while performing their duties.