What happened? During a routine vessel inspection, crew were observed using a grinder with a selector switch as opposed to a paddle switch, which was contrary to procedures and communication […]
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
UK HSE: Two workers suffer multiple burn injuries
What happened? An oil refinery company was sentenced for safety breaches after a 2013 incident in which two workers suffered life-changing injuries from an uncontrolled release of high pressure and […]
Hand injury from portable handheld Angle Grinder
What happened? A worker was injured whilst cleaning equipment using a portable handheld angle grinder fitted with a wire brush. The rotating brush caught an edge and kicked into the […]
Fall of a suspended load on general cargo vessel ZEA Servant injuring two crew
What happened? The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published an Accident Investigation Report 11/2020 relating to an incident on the general cargo vessel ZEA Servant in Campbeltown, Scotland. […]
Provisions Crane damaged by Main Deck Crane
What happened? During vessel mobilization the boat cradle had to be shifted from centre of the main deck towards the starboard side closer to the accommodation. The Main Crane was […]
Unsafe Use of Hand grinder with damaged disc
What happened? Grinding machine was observed as used with damaged grinding disc. Broken disc projectile could potentially cause serious injuries. Many other workers have been injured when angle grinders have […]
High potential near miss: Nitrogen hose failure during transfer of gas
What happened? As nitrogen gas was being transferred from the pipelay tower accumulators to storage bottles located within the pipelay HPU room, the pipelay supervisor noticed a sudden drop in […]
Emergency Lithium battery failed catastrophically in a diving bell
What happened? During regular planned maintenance, a 24V DC emergency Lithium battery pack in a diving bell activated and failed catastrophically causing an explosion and small fire. There were no […]
Near miss: Incorrectly set lifeboat hook
What happened? During a routine launch and recovery drill, the lifeboat crew became concerned that the forward hook was not engaging correctly despite the ‘padlock’ symbol indicating correct closure. With […]
Near miss/positive: Internal O-ring seal found damaged on fuel system
What happened? In a vessel alongside, a new fuel gas cylinder was connected to a gas-powered forklift truck. When the delivery valve was opened gas leaked from the connection between […]
Safe embarkation and disembarkation of Marine Pilots
What happened? During the embarkation of the Pilot to the vessel, the Pilot observed that a step on the Pilot ladder was not in good condition (broken). The Pilot implemented […]
Hull damage caused oil leakage from settling tank
What happened? On a member’s vessel, the starboard forward Marine Gas Oil (MGO) settling tank was punctured during berthing operations. The vessel was requested to move berth about 150 metres […]
Cargo Ignited on Truck Bed During Transportation
What happened? There was a fire in the cargo on the back of a truck whilst moving materials from the warehouse to the vessel. Whilst in transit, the driver observed […]
Member of the public killed following unplanned movement of an unsecured load
What happened? The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) fined a company after it caused the death of a child when he was trapped between an unsecured pole and a […]
MOB fatality from multi-cat
What happened? A member reports a man overboard fatality which occurred from a multi-cat engaged in shallow water construction in an inshore environment. The task involved recovery and re-arrangement of […]
Manhole opened and not correctly closed
What happened? During a safety round on deck prior to cargo operations it was noticed that a manhole had been opened in order to pump out ballast water to replace […]
MSF: Potential dropped objects – nets or tarps to cover cargo?
What happened? Marine Safety Forum Safety Alert 20-04 describes a potential dropped object (PDO) during cargo operations. A wooden baton of the type often used to support covers attached to […]
High potential incident: gantry hoist failure
What happened? An electrically powered gantry hoist failed whilst under load dropping cargo and lifting equipment to deck. The incident occurred during a lift of 500kg of palletised provisions onto […]
Leg entanglement from Tag Line during cargo operations
What happened? An AB got his leg entangled with a tag line during lifting operations. The incident occurred when a vessel was alongside a rig offloading cargo. The AB attached […]
USCG: Automatic identification system (AIS) inaccuracies led to fatalities
The United States Coastguard (USCG) has published Safety Alert 04-20 relating to an incident where a causal factor in a number of fatalities was incorrect information entered into vessel AIS […]
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