Britannia P&I Club has highlighted a case in which a crewmember was seriously injured after steel plates crushed him and encourages the safe handling of heavy steel plates.
Three crewmembers were moving 10 pieces of steel plate around the steering gear room while the ship was underway. Each piece measured approximately 2.4m x 1.2m and 5mm thick, weighing around 110kg.
After transferring the plates to their new location, two crew members were holding the plates against adjacent railings, while another crew member was trying to secure the plates to the railings using a rope. The ship rolled unexpectedly due to large swell which resulted in the plates moving and falling on top of the crew member who was attempting to secure them with a rope, partially crushing him as he tried to escape. The injured person was fortunate that the other crewmembers were there to help remove the plates which had fallen on to him. However, he did suffer very serious leg, arm, and internal injuries.
The ship was diverted so that he could receive emergency medical treatment, and he spent six weeks in hospital before his condition stabilised sufficiently to allow repatriation home to continue medical treatment there.
The investigation after the incident revealed that whilst a risk assessment and toolbox talk had been carried out, they were found to have been done improperly. During the risk assessment process, the risk of personal injury was identified as highly likely and therefore the task should not have been carried out without suitable mitigation measures being in place. For example, any work task that relies solely upon the strength of the personnel involved is not always safe.
It was also found that the toolbox talk was treated as a tick box exercise only; the risks were not discussed, and the job was not adequately supervised as per the work plan.
To prevent such incidents in future the following actions are recommended:
- The risk assessment should be fit for purpose, the control methods used to reduce the likelihood of the risk should be clear for everyone involved
- During the toolbox talk the risks and actions must be discussed thoroughly with the people involved
- The crew should be encouraged to challenge and contribute during risk assessment and toolbox talks
- Whenever possible, the correct lifting equipment (such as chain blocks and cranes) should be used
- The crew must be encouraged to use the ‘stop and think’ approach if things do not go according to plan
- If the procedures are not effective, they should be reviewed and changed
- Lessons learnt should be shared with the fleet
It is also widely acknowledged that for safety reasons, steel plates should be laid flat and stowed horizontally. Where space does not allow this preferred method, they should be stowed in a purpose-made rack of sufficient strength that allows removal of one plate at a time without having to remove the securing arrangement of all.