Lacerated finger during rigging operations
- Safety Flash
- Published on 30 April 2012
- Generated on 16 May 2026
- IMCA SF 04/12
- 2 minute read
A Member has reported an incident in which a crewman involved in rigging operations sustained a laceration to one of his fingers.
What happened?
The incident occurred during offshore operations when two riggers were working on the rigging and transfer of lengths of 16″ (40cm) diameter pipe.
The injured person was holding the handle of the pipe hook at the end of the pipe, and as the pipe was lifted, it made a backward swing motion and sandwiched his right little finger between the pipe end and the barge structure, resulting in a deep cut.
The investigation revealed the following:
Whilst a tag line was provided for safer control of the load, this was not used, and the injured person was holding onto the end of the pipe joint. The injured person was an experienced rigger but complacent, and had placed himself in the line of fire.
The following lessons were learnt and incorporated into Members’ toolbox meetings and safety briefings:
- Always make use of tag lines rather than handling the load itself, particularly for lifts of pipes or other long and unwieldy loads.
- Appropriate and sufficient risk assessment – including ‘last minute risk assessment’ should be conducted before engaging the hands.
- Avoid placing oneself ‘in the line of fire’.
Members may wish to refer to the following IMCA guidance:
Additionally, IMCA publishes a wide range of safety promotional material which is applicable in this instance:
- Slips, trips and finger nips (video)
- Toolbox talks (video)
- Watch out for pinch points (poster)
- Lifting operations (pocket card)
- Line of fire (pocket card)
IMCA Safety Flashes summarise key safety matters and incidents, allowing lessons to be more easily learnt for the benefit of the entire offshore industry.
The effectiveness of the IMCA Safety Flash system depends on the industry sharing information and so avoiding repeat incidents. Incidents are classified according to IOGP's Life Saving Rules.
All information is anonymised or sanitised, as appropriate, and warnings for graphic content included where possible.
IMCA makes every effort to ensure both the accuracy and reliability of the information shared, but is not be liable for any guidance and/or recommendation and/or statement herein contained.
The information contained in this document does not fulfil or replace any individual's or Member's legal, regulatory or other duties or obligations in respect of their operations. Individuals and Members remain solely responsible for the safe, lawful and proper conduct of their operations.
Share your safety incidents with IMCA online. Sign-up to receive Safety Flashes straight to your email.