IMCA Safety Flash 10-23
IMCA has published Safety Flash 10-23.
Click to download the IMCA Safety Flash 10-23 here.
Person injured when safety mechanisms failed
The United States Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has published Safety Alert 455 relating to an incident in which a third-party contract operator sandblasting offshore was injured when a temporary air dryer used for sandblasting operations recoiled and broke the safety cable. A broken whip check and T-connection hit the worker and caused multiple cuts and abrasions to his head and shoulders.
Dropped spanner falls 15m
During work at height, a spanner became disconnected from its DROPS protection lanyard whilst crew were working in an area outside the installed protective netting. The spanner then fell to deck 15 metres below.
Equipment Damage: Dropped Object from tiltable lay system
A bracket weighing 10.5kg fell 16m to deck. The incident occurred during a function test of a tensioner on a pipelay system. The tensioner doors had to be moved into the firing line, closed, and then retracted to the parked position.
As the tensioner doors were being closed, the port side door made contact with a hinged bracket that was part of an inspection manhole gate which had been left open. This resulted in the bracket, weighing 10.5 kg, dropping approximately 16m to the work table below.
Near Miss: Personnel nearly struck by rotating chain attached to flexible pipe
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 being transferred, the tensioners were in the following position: upper tensioner – open, lower tensioner – closed. To allow the weight to be transferred onto the A&R wire the lower tensioners were opened. This then resulted in the production flexible rotating due to the residual torsion that had been built up within the line. A 16.5te chain used for the transfer of the second end was still attached to the pull-in head, as the flexible pipe began to rotate, this chain also spun. Two crew members who were observing the operation were stood nearby and were almost struck by the spinning chain.
Near Miss – Messroom fridge fell over during rough seas
During transit through heavy seas, a fridge tore loose from the messroom wall and fell on its side. The incident occurred when the vessel was transiting out to the field and was experiencing 3-4m seas. During one large roll, a tall fridge in the messroom came away from the bulkhead after its primary securing brackets were pulled out of the bulkhead due to the motion of the vessel. The fridge swung on the last remaining fixing before falling on its side.
