
A crew member fell by a backside window in a cargo crane cabin throughout cleansing whereas the vessel was anchored off Paradip, India.
The protecting metal grating over the window had been eliminated, eliminating the one bodily barrier stopping a fall.
Contributing components included doable prior glass injury, seal failure, or corrosion, together with gear design that made cleansing tough with out eradicating the grating.
The corporate secured gratings, redesigned them for safer cleansing, and added additional fall safety and security consciousness measures fleetwide.
On Might 22, 2024, a deadly accident occurred on board the Maltese-registered bulk service whereas anchored off Paradip, India. A crew member fell from a peak of about 12 meters inside a cargo crane cabin throughout cleansing operations. The security investigation aimed to find out the circumstances of the accident and determine preventive measures to keep away from recurrence, in response to the findings documented within the ultimate security investigation report issued by the Marine Security Investigation Unit of Transport Malta.
Why Did It Occur?
The investigation decided that the crew member fell by the underside window of cargo crane No. 1’s cabin whereas cleansing. The protecting metal grating, which served as the one bodily barrier over the glass pane, had been eliminated. It’s possible the crew member positioned some or all of his weight on the tempered glass, which gave approach. The glass and its rubber seal meeting could not have been designed to help any extra load.
Potential contributing components embrace prior injury to the glass, failure of the rubber seal beneath weight, or corrosion across the window body that would have allowed the glass and seal to slide out. The crane’s air vent deal with obstructed the grating from totally opening, possible prompting its full elimination for cleansing. No useful obstacles, akin to alarms or interlocks, had been in place to stop elimination of the grating, and no warning indicators had been posted contained in the cabin. Climate and vessel movement had been dominated out as contributing components.
Classes Realized
This case highlights the significance of sustaining a number of security obstacles—bodily, useful, and symbolic—when working at peak. Eradicating a bodily barrier with out an alternate safeguard created a direct threat of falling. Upkeep applications should embrace checks on much less apparent security elements, akin to window seals and help frames, to stop deterioration that would compromise their integrity.
The accident additionally underlines the necessity to design gear in order that routine upkeep and cleansing might be carried out safely, with out eradicating important protecting options. Crew members should be reminded throughout security conferences that bypassing protecting units, even for comfort, can result in extreme accidents.
Security Suggestions
Following the accident, the corporate took instant motion to safe the protecting gratings on all remaining cargo cranes by bolting the hinges to stop elimination. Security posters had been put in contained in the crane cabins to warn of the hazard. As a long-term measure, new grating designs had been commissioned to permit cleansing with out elimination, and extra transverse metal bars had been deliberate beneath the underside home windows as additional fall safety.
The corporate additionally issued a Security Bulletin to all vessels beneath its administration, requiring the incident to be mentioned in security conferences and coaching classes for each crew and contractors, guaranteeing consciousness of the hazards and reinforcing protected working practices.
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