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Estimated read time:<\/strong> 70\u201385 minutes Stores and provisions handling is one of the most frequent lifting activities carried out on deck \u2014 and one of the least respected. Loads are usually light compared to cargo, the operations are short, and the task is often rushed to \u201cget it out of the way\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This combination is exactly why serious injuries occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stores handling fails not because equipment is inadequate, but because discipline degrades fastest during routine work<\/strong>. The same physics that governs heavy lifts still applies \u2014 just closer to people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stores are often irregularly shaped, poorly balanced, and packaged for road transport, not shipboard lifting. Loads swing easily, slings shift, and lifting points are improvised. Crew instinctively step closer to guide loads by hand, placing themselves inside crush and pinch zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike cargo operations, stores handling is rarely treated as a formal lifting plan \u2014 even though it involves suspended loads over personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stores handling is covered under multiple overlapping regulations and guidance, even if crews don\u2019t always recognise it as such.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under SOLAS Chapter II-1 (Construction \u2013 Structure, Machinery and Electrical Installations)<\/strong> and Chapter III (Life-Saving Appliances and Arrangements)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under the ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Ports<\/strong> (widely applied to shipboard operations):<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many flag states also apply PUWER-style principles<\/strong> (Provision and Use of Work Equipment), requiring:<\/p>\n\n\n\n From a regulatory standpoint, \u201cit\u2019s only stores\u201d is not a defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Improvised slinging \u2014 using single slings, knots, or mismatched shackles \u2014 is one of the most common unsafe practices. Loads that lift cleanly from the quay may rotate once clear, shifting the centre of gravity unexpectedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Experienced deck officers insist on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These controls are not excessive. They are the minimum needed to keep people out of crush paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2018, a crew member on a UK-flagged vessel was fatally injured during routine stores loading when a suspended pallet shifted and pinned him against deck structure. The load was relatively light and being guided by hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Investigation found no mechanical failure. The injury resulted from human positioning within the load\u2019s travel path<\/strong> and inadequate control of the suspended load. The operation was not treated as a formal lift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The key finding was simple and brutal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The load did exactly what physics allowed. Stores operations are often squeezed between port activities, leading to rushed decisions. Speed increases proximity, proximity removes escape routes, and small loads leave no margin when they shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senior deck officers deliberately slow stores handling down \u2014 not to waste time, but to restore distance and control<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stores and provisions handling is lifting work, not housekeeping. The same rules apply: suspended loads, exclusion zones, proper rigging, and controlled movement. Regulations do not distinguish between \u201ccargo\u201d and \u201cstores\u201d when someone is injured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Competent deck officers treat every lift as capable of crushing someone<\/strong> \u2014 because it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tags<\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Why \u201croutine lifting\u201d quietly causes crush injuries and fatalities Estimated read time: 70\u201385 minutesAudience: Cadet \u2192 AB \u2192 Junior Officer \u2192 Chief Mate Introduction \u2013 The most underestimated lifting operation on deck Stores and provisions handling is one of the most frequent lifting activities carried out on deck \u2014 and one of the least respected. 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Audience:<\/strong> Cadet \u2192 AB \u2192 Junior Officer \u2192 Chief Mate<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nIntroduction \u2013 The most underestimated lifting operation on deck<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhat actually goes wrong during stores handling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\ud83d\udd27 Regulatory Reality: Lifting Stores on Ships<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nRigging stores: where shortcuts appear<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\n\ud83d\udd3b Real-World Failure: Fatal Crush Injury During Stores Loading \u2013 UK-Flag Vessel (2018)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The crew member was where he should never have been.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhy speed makes stores handling worse<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nKnowledge to Carry Forward<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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On Deck, Stores Handling, Provisions, Lifting Operations, Crush Injury, Rigging, Deck Safety, Human Factors, Failure Modes<\/p>\n\n\n\n