What happened? During extraction of working teams from offshore wind farm turbine towers in poor weather, a transferee found himself on a gangway as it disconnected. Weather and sea conditions […]
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
Technical Adviser - HSSE and Offshore Survey
Contact
Safety Events
LTI: head injury
What happened? A provisions lift onboard a vessel became stuck. The chief engineer was called to attempt a repair. During assessment of the problem, the lift dropped whilst his head […]
Person felt unwell while working in confined space
What happened? A worker felt dizzy and weak while cleaning a mud tank. The tank watchman noticed this and initiated the emergency rescue procedures to recover the person from confined […]
Confined space fatality on-board the fishing vessel Sunbeam
What happened? The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published a report into a confined space fatality on-board the fishing vessel at Fraserburgh in the UK, in August 2018. […]
Confined space entry: person overcome by fumes and rendered unconscious
What happened? Three crew members on a vessel were tasked with opening a sewage tank inspection hatch to check the condition of a faulty sensor. The hatch was subsequently removed […]
Sharp wire: injury during routine maintenance
What happened? Whilst conducting routine engine maintenance a seafarer caught his arm on a sharp piece of wire, causing the need for medical treatment. The seafarer was using a spanner […]
Crisis Management: Rail Industry High Potential Near Miss
“Thirty centimetres of safety” The UK Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has published its report into the detrainment of passengers onto electrically live track near Peckham Rye station on 7 […]
Near miss: unplanned deployment of PLET outrigger
What happened? As a pipeline end termination (PLET) passed through the firing line, a rigger incorrectly cut a webbed ratchet strap (instead of a 6mm rope lanyard) which was restraining […]
Electric Arc Incident
What happened? During a vessel mobilisation a control cabin for an electric ROV was being installed and commissioned. The cabin’s internal main electrical power cable arced, tripping the vessel’s power […]
Dropped pipe incidents with potentially fatal consequences
What happened? During line pipe load out operations, three high potential near miss incidents occurred involving quayside crane lifting operations. All of the incidents had the potential for fatal consequences […]
High potential near miss: working on pressurised pipeline
What happened? During the dewatering of a 6” flexible jumper, a near miss incident occurred when the pull head was removed whilst it was still under pressure. This resulted in […]
High potential near miss: unplanned handling of unexploded ordnance
What happened? During debris removal/recovery operations being undertaken along a subsea cable trenching corridor, several items of unexploded ordnance (UXO) were bought to the surface and landed on deck with […]
Wire rope sling failed during lifting operations
What happened? The Marine Safety Forum (MSF) has published Safety Alert 18-18 regarding the failure of equipment on an anchor handling vessel (AHV) during chain handling operations. The crew were […]
Injured finger during cargo operations
What happened? During cargo operations, a crewman got his finger stuck between the cargo and the lifting chain. The incident occurred when a vessel was discharging modules with a weight […]
USCG: two alerts relating to gas releases
What happened? The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has published two recent Safety Alerts relating to unplanned releases of different and unrelated gases. These are: 07/18 entitled Ethylene vapors activate […]
LTI: diver injured during water jetting operations
What happened? A saturation diver suffered a lost time injury (LTI) to his left arm during subsea high-pressure water jetting operations. The incident occurred when the water jet gun failed, […]
Man overboard: personnel transfers by swing rope and personnel basket
The United States’ Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has published Safety Alert 331 on personnel transfers using swing rope and personnel basket. It relates to a swing rope […]
Uncontrolled movement of a riser
What happened? A riser moved unexpectedly away from the vessel. The incident occurred during the deployment of a production riser from a hang-off frame located starboard aft. All rigging had […]
Load fell from trailer after it was inadequately secured
Two articulated lorries with 20′ trailers were organised to move equipment, including lifeboat davits, a power-pack, winches and sheave blocks, from one location to another. The first trailer was loaded […]
Unsafe attempt of personnel transfer between vessels
What happened? Three people from a sub-contractor were observed trying to move from vessel to vessel whilst alongside, by slipping through the bulwark guardrails. There was no proper gangway in […]
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