Investigation report focuses on rigging and unrigging of accommodation ladders and working aloft
Transport Malta has issued Safety Investigation Report referring to a fatal accident onboard MV Kiran Turkiye where man fell overboard from the accommodation ladderat the Eastern Bunkering C, off Singapore 13 November 2014
The Incident
On the 13 November 2014, Kiran Turkiye was on anchor at Eastern Bunkering C, off Singapore to receive bunkers on her port side, and lubricating oil on her starboard side. At about 2245 (LT), one of the ABs fell overboard and lost his life. At the time, he was preparing for the heaving up of the port side accommodation ladder clear from the bunker barge.
The safety investigation concluded that the work on the accommodation ladder was also being carried out aloft and over the ship‟s side. Moreover, the hazards and risks arising from working aloft and over the ship‟s side were either unforeseen, or the intended measures to control them were not implemented.
The Marine Safety Investigation Unit has made three safety recommendations to the managers of the vessel, mainly focusing on safety management system procedures and risk assessment related to rigging and unrigging of accommodation ladders and working aloft.
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Cause of Death The autopsy determined the cause of death to be drowning. The AB, however, had suffered blunt force injuries to his head. Although these injuries were not considered to be fatal, it was not excluded that they could have knocked him unconscious. |
Conclusions
- The preparation of the railings required (out of necessity) personnel to be on the ladder when the railings were not yet in place. This is an intrinsic risk within the system
- The preparation of an accommodation ladder, and also the rigging and unrigging of the safety net necessitated crew members to work aloft and over the ship‟s side
- It was not excluded that the AB may have found himself in a situation of selective attention. Working at a height, he may have had to focus on the task in one hand and simultaneously guard himself against a potential fall overboard
- The risks arising from working aloft and over the ship‟s side were unforeseen by the two crew members involved and any measures to control them were not implemented
- A safety harness was not being used by the crew member at the time of the accident
- The crew members had a different perception of risk from that described and assessed in the assessment made between June and October 2014
- The operation was being conducted by two crew members; one operating the controls, whilst the AB was on the accommodation ladder. This has led to inadequate supervision
- The crew member operating the controls was unable to observe and / or attribute the premature lifting of the accommodation ladder to a fault in the retracting system
- Communication between the AB and the operator at the controls was ineffective
Further details may be found by reading the following Safety Investigation Report
Source & Image Credit:Transport Malta
