The recently published UK MAIB Safety Digest highlights lessons learned from an incident involving a ladder that led to unfortunate consequences for a crew member aboard a berthed cruise ship. The crew member was standing on the top step of a small folding stepladder to secure lighting power cables when the step gave way, causing the crew member to fall to the ground.
The impact resulted in back and head injuries, leading to a brief loss of consciousness and severe back pain. Immediate medical attention was sought at the ship’s medical centre where, after assessment, the crew member was deemed to be
nfit for work for 72 hours. The crew member was subsequently transferred to hospital at the cruise ship’s next port of call for further comprehensive medical evaluation.
An investigation was conducted on board and established that the accident was caused by the failure of the welds securing the stepladder’s top step supporting rod to the frame.
Lessons Learned
#1 Equipment
It is unlikely that the weight of the crew member would have been sufficient to cause the catastrophic failure of a metal support on a new stepladder. The stepladder used in this incident was of an indeterminate age but was not being overloaded so it is almost certain that the damage to the metal support was pre-existing.
#2 Check
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 require work equipment to be thoroughly inspected before use to make sure it is fit for the intended purpose. Work equipment should also be maintained in good repair and, where applicable, with maintenance and inspection logs kept up-to-date.
#3 Maintain
Accidental damage to equipment can sometimes occur. A just culture working environment balances fairness, learning and shared accountability and supports staff to adopt an open and honest approach to reporting incidents. Where damaged equipment could affect the next user, a just culture is essential to understand why the failure occurred and how to prevent it happening again.
