High-potential incident: Person struck by Yokohama fender
- Safety Flash
- Published on 16 February 2023
- Generated on 15 August 2025
- IMCA SF 05/23
- 2 minute read
While a Yokohama fender was being lifted onboard a vessel in harbour, a crewman came within the line of fire between the fender and bumper bars protecting an electrical services panel.
What happened?
The injured person was struck and injured as the fender moved. He had to move into the line of fire between the fender and the bumper bars in order to release cargo strap sea fastenings from the fender which were attached to the vessel bulwark. At this point the Yokohama fender pivoted and he became trapped between the fender and the bumper bar frame.
Operations were immediately stopped and the vessel medic was called. The injured person was taken to a shore-side hospital for further examination. After medical examination he was released back to the vessel the same day.
Fig. 1: Yokohama fender and bumper bar positioning
Fig. 2: Cargo strap sea fastening still attached to Yokohama fender
What went wrong?
- In this particular instance, this Yokohama fender was not accessed from the rear, as was usual, but from a position that put the crewman in the line of fire.
- Neither the vessel task plan nor the Task Risk Assessment (TRA) for mooring operations included the lifting and installation of Yokoyama Fenders, nor did they take into account the line of fire risk.
- Human factors and risk perception – the injured person did not wait for the Yokoyama fender to stabilise before going into the line of fire. The incident occurred very fast; there was no time for the other members of the team to react and intervene.
Fig. 3: Post Incident re-enactment – where the person stood at the time of the incident
Lessons learned
- Reviewed how Yokohama fenders are stored on board vessels, with reference to reducing and controlling Line of Fire risks in the task of securing and relocating fenders.
- Reviewed vessel task plan and risk assessments for mooring operations, to ensure inclusion of:
- lifting and installation of Yokohama fenders where appropriate
- Line of Fire, personnel positioning, entrapment risks and escape routes.
- lifting and installation of Yokohama fenders where appropriate
- Heightened focus on controls, barriers, and risk management where Line of Fire risks have been identified.
- Considered regular “After Task” reviews as a key part of task planning to focus on learning, safety, and human/performance improvement.
- Ensured that the obligation and expectation to exercise the Stop Work Authority is clearly communicated and understood by all parties. Always ensure an area is safe before entering after an All Stop has been called.
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IMCA SF 29/22
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IMCA SF 20/15
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