Missing protection cover becomes potential dropped object

The Marine Safety Forum (MSF) reports a near miss incident in which a small protective cover was lost from the deck of a vessel, and was later found in the pocket of a five-foot container which had been offloaded ashore. This could have been a serious high potential dropped object risk to the crew, shore-side workers and to the general public.

What was the cause?

An investigation revealed that the rubber which keeps the deck covers in place was in poor condition and this enabled them to become loose and be washed out during heavy weather. It was also observed that inadequate inspection and maintenance had been contributing factors.

What actions were taken?

A temporary deck cover was made to remove the tripping hazards created by the missing cover. New covers were ordered and delivered on board. Further recommendations were:

• Check the condition of the covers on a regular basis;
• The inspection of the covers should be part of the onboard planned maintenance system;
• After any heavy weather, deck crew should visually check the deck and if a cover is missing, try to locate the cover before discharging any cargo. This is to help prevent the possibility of dropped objects.

The MSF alert can be found on the MSF website.

Members may also wish to review the following incidents and videos:

• Near-miss: Dropped object from crane
• Dropped object incidents
• Near-miss: Missing nut and split pin on shackle
• Technip DROPS (video)
• Safe lifting(video)
• Risk assessment(video)