The Hong Kong Marine Department draws lessons learned from an incident where inadequate safety measures and communication led to the death of a bosun during a deck cleaning operation.
A Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier completed the loading of coal and set sail from a port in Russia to her discharging port in China. As a large amount of cargo residue accumulated on the open deck areas of the vessel, the deck crew planned to clean these areas with fire hoses the following morning.
On the day of the accident, the bosun was assigned to wash the aft main deck alone while other deck crew were grouped to wash the remaining open deck areas. During the deck cleaning operation, the bosun went to the forecastle store without notifying other crew members. He wore wet cotton gloves and used a portable angle electric grinder (the grinder) to cut a fire hose or repair other equipment on the ship.
The bosun mentioned to other crew members after the accident that he had suffered an electric shock while using the grinder. Since there was no witness at the time of the accident, his injury might have been caused by muscle contraction due to the electric shock, causing the grinder to swing to his left arm, or his left arm might have been injured due to the leftward force exerted while holding the grinder in his right hand to cut the fire hose. Subsequently, a member of the washing team heard the bosun’s shouting for help on the forward main deck and noticed a severe cut on his left arm near the elbow joint, which was bleeding profusely.
Despite immediate and continuous medical treatment on board under the advice of the shore doctor, and the vessel altering her course to the nearest port in the waters off the west of Japan for emergency air evacuation, the bosun was eventually declared dead at the shore hospital due to excessive bleeding.
The investigation identified that the contributory factors leading to the accident were that the communication among the deck crew as well as the supervision of their work were ineffective; the risks associated with the ad-hoc task of using the grinder by the bosun were not properly assessed prior to the work; and the safety precautions for using the grinder stated in the Shipboard Operation Manual were insufficient as advised by the “Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seafarers” (the Code), such as using suitable cutting tools, holding the grinder with both hands and keeping both hands behind the cutting edge of the grinder, and ensuring hands are dry when operating the grinder.
Lessons learned
- Provide adequate training to ensure crew members use suitable cutting tools for a task and are familiar with the tools before use.
- Enhance safety awareness of crew members when using electric cutting tools by instructing them to keep the cutting tools away from their body, keep both hands behind the cutting edge of the tools, and keep their hands dry.
- Promote effective communication and on-site supervision for crew members during work, especially for those who are assigned to work alone.
- Conduct risk assessments for new tasks prior to work and implement appropriate control measures if hazards are identified during the assessment.
- Ensure the Shipboard Operation Manual includes sufficient safety precautions for using portable grinders and other powered cutting tools as advised by the Code.
