What happened? A dummy choke insert was ejected from a water injection (WI) tree by force of differential pressure, while divers were working nearby. A Dive team was removing a […]
Safety Flashes
IMCA safety flashes disseminate important information on incidents and potential hazards and the lessons learnt from them that can help prevent incidents occurring elsewhere in the industry.
Individual safety events are available individually online, tagged and searchable, while the traditional PDF collections are also available for download.
Submit a Report
All members are encouraged to contribute relevant safety-related information – please visit our Safety Flash Reporting page for details on the submission process.
IMCA Contact
Nicholas Hough
Consultant - Safety and Security
Contact
Safety Events
Equipment starts unexpectedly
What happened THree mechanics obtained a Lock-out/Tag-out (LOTO) for a High voltage AC unit, and were performing routine maintenance on the unit. As one of them went to lubricate the […]
Near Miss: Personnel nearly struck by rotating chain attached to flexible pipe
What happened Crew were involved in the second end transfer of a 4″ (10cm) production flexible up to the top module of the pipelay system. As the second end was […]
Sudden and uncontrollable move of A&R head
What happened? At the end of offshore pipeline installation operations, a vessel was preparing for pipeline abandonment. The pipe end clamp was in the Hand-off Module (HOM) and had been […]
Battery explosion during routine maintenance
What happened A chief engineer suffered minor injuries in a battery explosion when disconnecting a cable from the battery. The incident occurred onboard a harbour tug. The chief engineer was […]
LTI: person crushed in watertight door
What happened An electrician was crushed and severely injured while working on a watertight door on a vessel. He was evacuated by helicopter. The incident happened when the door opened […]
Dummy hot stab ejected during leak investigation
What happened? A high potential near miss occurred when a dummy hot stab was ejected at 20,000psi. Personnel were out of the direct line of fire but within 1-2 meters […]
Live sub-surface power cable inadvertently cut
What happened A high potential near miss occurred during onshore preparations for a pipeline installation when an excavator cut into an energised power cable. Trenching activities for the onshore pipeline […]
Failure to plan properly: electrician sustains serious burns (UK HSE)
Following a UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution, a retail company was fined £1,000,000 after an electrician suffered serious burns to 15 per cent of his body when he […]
BSEE: Unsecured Pressurized Hoses Result in Hand Injuries
What happened The United States Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement BSEE) has published Safety Alert No. 442 relating to hand injuries caused by handling unsecured pressurised hoses during coil […]
High potential incident – Foot trapped under ram cylinder
What happened A person almost had his foot crushed by a ram cylinder on a pipeline coating machine. The incident occurred at a spoolbase, during the application of pipe joint […]
Permit to Work and Isolation procedure not followed
What happened? An electrician installed fuses on a 930V DC electrical system while the system was live. Under deck carousels were mechanically and electrically isolated as a precaution for maintenance […]
UK HSE: Lubrication of circuit breakers – safety notice
The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a Safety Notice regarding the lubrication of circuit breakers in both HV and LV equipment. The key issues covered are the […]
Portable electrical equipment – serious fire in the accommodation
What happened? A member reports a serious fire in the accommodation on a vessel at anchor. There was no injury nor loss of life, but there was significant and costly […]
Electrician suffered flash burn to hand
What happened A third-party electrician on a vessel in dry dock got burnt whilst verifying the integrity of insulation on a 690 Volt bus bar. A voltaic arc was created […]
UK HSE: Poorly maintained electrical installation caused fatality
The UK Health and Safety Executive prosecuted a warehouse management solutions company after an employee was fatally electrocuted while servicing electrical equipment. What went wrong? Investigation found that: Control measures […]
Damaged Electrical Cable
What happened? During a washdown of a vessel’s cargo hold a crew member noticed arcing from around two electrical cables near the cargo hold light. Upon closer investigation he noticed […]
Shipyard worker receives electrical shock
What happened A shipyard worker received a serious electrical shock onboard a vessel in dry dock. The incident occurred when a shipyard welding team were setting up equipment outside on […]
Electric shock due to water in electrical equipment
What happened There was an uncontrolled spraying of fresh water from a sounding pipe in the galley, resulting in electrical equipment getting wet. As a result someone got an electric […]
LTI: Stored energy – rigger injured leg working on quayside
A rigger sustained a significant injury to his lower left leg while working on the quayside during lifting operations. The incident occurred during the hours of darkness, when a third-party […]
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