Confined space entry fatality
- Safety Flash
- Published on 10 November 2020
- Generated on 24 February 2026
- IMCA SF 31/20
- 1 minute read
What happened?
A sad incident has come to IMCA’s attention in which one person lost his life and another was injured, as a result of confined space entry. The incident occurred on a vessel within a shipyard.
Two workers were assigned the task of spray painting the inside of a fresh water tank inside the steering gear room. One of them was spraying inside the tank while his colleague was outside the tank assisting the spraying activity. During the spraying activity, an explosion suddenly occurred; the ignition source is still under investigation. The person outside the tank was rescued and was conscious at time of rescue. However, the person inside the tank was found unconscious in the tank by the Emergency Response Team.
Both were transferred to a local hospital. Upon arrival at hospital, the person who had been found unconscious, was declared dead by a doctor. Investigation is on-going with all relevant government authorities.
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