Date of occurrence : July 2019
Type of Vessel : Bulk Carrier, GT 49534
Location : Vessel at Anchor in port
What happened

An Electro-technical Officer, an Oiler, and a Fitter were tasked to trouble-shoot the faulty suction unit of the AC blower.

While testing the tension of the fan belt and the motion of the motor shaft, the Fitter severed three of his left fingers when they were caught between the motor pulley and the fan belt.

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Cause of the incident

Inattention : The Fitter had failed to assess the dangers of moveable parts. He underestimated the speed of the fast turning pulley and was unable to remove his hand from getting caught between the motor pulley and the fan belt.

Lessons Learnt
  • It is important to conduct detailed risk assessments and to identify hazards even for routine jobs;
  • The company’s safety procedures, as written in the vessel’s Safety Management System, should always be adhered to when performing tasks onboard, to mitigate hazards.
Recommendation

Ship owners, managers and masters should ensure that the crew complies with procedures stated in the Safety Management System when performing tasks onboard.