Providing lessons learned, IMCA describes a man overboard incident from a tug.
The incident
A sub-contracted anchor handling tug was performing grapnel run activities using a long chain as a grapnel. Whilst overboarding the chain, a crew member lost balance and fell overboard.
Probable cause
The first part of the chain was being over boarded using a hook with a T-bar across the top. When the chain started sliding overboard, the hook wasn’t released quickly enough and at the same time the T-bar caught on the life jacket worn by the crew member, causing him to lose balance and stumble. This ultimately led to the crew member falling overboard.
- After the incident the design of the hook was modified to prevent it from getting caught;
- Also, the overboarding process was changed to using the crane, eliminating the use of such a tool.
Lessons learned
- Do your drills, learn your skills! They may become necessary;
- Risk assessment: can we do a task in a smarter, safer way?
- Manage sub-contractors and get involved in their work methods and risk assessments;
- Review all hand tools for potential snag points and correct such snag points (if the tool cannot be eliminated);
- Respect the identified no-go areas at vessel edges;
