IMCA’s HSS Manager Adrian White will attend the fifth Enclosed Space Entry Joint Industry Workshop taking place at OCIMF’s London office on 16 July 2025. The cross-industry working group, drawn from leading maritime organisations, was established to identify measures to reduce or eliminate deaths in enclosed spaces onboard vessels.
Members can support this initiative by sharing case studies of safety incidents relating to enclosed spaces, or positive actions that they have taken to mitigate the hazards posed by this type of work.
In its previous four meetings, the working group’s review of prior enclosed space incidents identified operational, commercial, technical, and training-related issues as recurring contributing factors. This review also included an analysis of incidents to understand the relationship between vessel type, incident location onboard, and the rank and role of those who died.
Fatalities due to asphyxiation and/or poisoning in the shipping industry continue, despite the existence of numerous rules, regulations, and best practice guidelines on how to avoid such deaths.
The working group is committed to deepening its understanding and sharing its learnings with the wider industry, with the intention of helping organisations identify and improve these factors to prevent incidents from happening.
IMCA members can support our mission of improving safety offshore by sharing not only their safety incidents with us but also any positive actions taken to mitigate hazards, and ensure lessons are learned by the entire industry via our Safety Flashes. A Safety Flash template, making it easier to submit information to us, is now available to download here.
IMCA’s Safety Flashes support organisations working offshore to identify hazards, share lessons learned, avoid repetition, and nurture a collective culture of continuous improvement. More than 10,000 people in the offshore industry regularly receive Safety Flashes directly to their email inboxes.
Submit your report to safetyreports@imca-int.com.