Lessons learned: Fatal accident happened on board during cargo hold painting

The incident 

A Hong Kong registered bulk carrier (the vessel) was en route from Imbituba, Brazil to Barra dos Coqueiros to load bulk maize cargoes. Four crew members, including bosun, carpenter, purser and steward (the deck team), were assigned to conduct the paintwork for the inside of the hatch coaming of No.3 cargo hold (the hold). The bosun led the paintwork with the purser and the steward assisting the work on-site. After completing the paintwork of the fore hatch coaming, the deck team planned to proceed to paint the starboard side coaming of the hold. Afterwards, the bosun heard a scream and the sound of a falling object hitting the tank top of the hold. The bosun immediately rushed to the hold and found the purser lying on the tank top near the side of the fore hatch coaming. The crew of the vessel organised themselves immediately and applied first aid to the purser. The purser was found to have no pulse, pupils appeared dilated, both legs were broken without apparent wounds and bleeding in other parts of his body. He was eventually declared dead by the doctor on board on the same day of the incident.

The investigation identified that the contributory factors leading to the accident were that the shipboard risk assessment for the paintwork was not carried out properly according to the requirements of the “Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seafarers” (the Code); the crew failed to follow the requirements of the Code and the shipboard safety management system (SMS) to take necessary preventive measures when working aloft; the paintwork was not supervised properly on site according to the requirements of the Code and the shipboard SMS ; the shipboard training plan was not planned properly to follow the shipboard SMS requirements; and the shipboard training on working aloft was ineffective.