Person injured when leg slipped through floor hatch
- Safety Flash
- Published on 24 July 2020
- Generated on 10 October 2025
- IMCA SF 22/20
- 1 minute read
What happened?
During routine inspection of an engine room, someone slipped through a loose floor hatch plate and sustained a cut wound about 3 cm on the shin of his left leg.
What were the causes? What went wrong?
Failure of screw connection between the floor hatch plate or covering and the underlying hatch support.
There had been no regular inspections of these floor hatches or their supports since vessel build. Not all floor covering hatches were designed with screwed supports.
The inspection of the hatch supports was not a part of the vessel-specific planned maintenance system.
Actions taken and lessons learned
- The screw connections for this hatch were replaced with bolts.
- There was a check of the condition of the screw connections of floor covering and supports elsewhere.
- Warning markings were applied to floor hatches in the engine spaces.
- Periodic inspection of floors hatch covers and supports to be added to the vessel- specific planned maintenance system.
Related Safety Flashes
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IMCA SF 12/20
31 March 2020
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IMCA SF 03/19
27 February 2019
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IMCA SF 10/18
9 May 2018
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