ROV pilot injured by fibre optic glass
- Safety Flash
- Published on 25 February 2008
- Generated on 14 February 2026
- IMCA SF 03/08
- 1 minute read
An incident has been reported to IMCA in which an ROV pilot working on an umbilical tether was injured by a shard of fibre optic material.
What happened?
Work was being conducted in a workshop on the umbilical tether of an ROV. Measurements and repairs were being undertaken on the fibre optic cables inside the tether. The pilot leaned forward, close to the fibres, and one of the fibre-optic cable ends pierced his skin at the shoulder and broke off.
Approximately 12mm of glass fibre entered the skin of his left shoulder at an angle and was just under the surface of the skin.
The pilot was treated by a doctor and went ashore for further examination. Vessel operations were stood down and a ‘time-out for safety’ was undertaken.
Investigation revealed that there was a lack of awareness of the danger caused by sharp fibre-optic cable ends and consequent at-risk behaviour.
Fibre optic material that caused the injury
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