Marine Safety Forum issued a Safety Alert describing of an eye injury incident while opening a paint tin lid.
The incident
During offshore bulk cargo operations onboard a PSV in the North Sea, the IP attempted to open a 5L paint tin with a flat head screwdriver in order to commence a painting work scope. The incident took place in a well-lit workshop, the IP was not fatigued, nor inexperienced, was focussed on the job and wearing proper PPE including fitted safety glasses.
When attempting to pry open the lid, the screwdriver slipped from the point of contact and sprung in an upwards motion travelling underneath the safety glasses to penetrate the IP’s right eye.
The client’s notification process was not followed, and offshore installation was not informed of the incident which led to some confusion and could have led to a delay in the evacuation of the IP.
Findings
Following investigation, it was determined that there was no defined tool or recommendations within the company for opening this type of paint tin lid. It was also discovered that the Risk Assessment in place did not capture the task of removing the paint tin lid as a hazard.
By design, the paint tin lid was rounded and tight fitting, which was also deemed a contributing factor as the screwdriver required force to separate the paint tin lid from the tin itself. Given that the screwdriver used was of the long-handled type, it was also considered difficult to control.
Actions taken and lessons learned
- Vessel Master performed “Safety Stand Down / Time out for Safety” – to discuss the incident and client notification and reporting requirements.
- To ensure that no further injuries were caused during the process of the investigation and until corrective actions were agreed, the vessel was instructed that no painting work scopes were to commence.
- A circular letter was distributed to the owner’s fleet detailing the incident, root causes and corrective actions taken.
- A safer alternative in the form of a specific paint tin opening tool (as shown below) has been agreed to be purchased for the entire fleet with the use of screwdrivers prohibited for the task.
- The crew held safety meetings on both shifts to refamiliarize themselves with the Marine Operation Manual with special importance given to notification and reporting of incidents.
