According to foreign media reports, recently, a maritime society summarized lessons learned from an accident in which a bosun was crushed against a steel beam on a ship and tragically died.
The ship “Arroyo” was docked at the port, and the crew, with the assistance of a shore-based tractor driver, were loading a semi-trailer onto the upper vehicle deck. The bosun, acting as the signalman (directing traffic), was directing a tractor pushing a semi-trailer into a narrow corner of the ship for vehicle storage.
The bosun was standing on a painted walkway behind lane 21 directing the tractor. The walkway was located within the vehicle lane.
The tractor driver could not see the bosun while reversing, but proceeded with the reversing maneuver following a common, routine practice at the port.
The driver assumed the bosun had moved to a safe position behind a nearby trailer. However, the semi-trailer was slightly angled, causing its rear to encroach onto the marked walkway where the bosun was standing. The bosun became trapped and was crushed against a steel stiffener beam protruding from the ship’s superstructure.
Another crew member discovered the unconscious, crushed bosun and immediately raised the alarm. The alarm sounded, and crew members rushed to the scene.
The semi-trailer pinning the boson had to be moved by another tractor to create enough space for rescue efforts. Personnel administered first aid and CPR to the bosun until medical professionals arrived, but due to the severity of his injuries, the victim was pronounced dead after the paramedics arrived.
The investigation into this accident revealed several key safety failures:
Danger of Unofficial Workarounds: An undocumented and unsafe procedural workaround for loading semi-trailers in tight spaces had become routine practice, overriding official safety procedures.
False Sense of Security: Painted walkways not physically separated from vehicle lanes create a false sense of security and do not provide adequate protection. This lesson had been highlighted in a previous fatal accident.
Breakdown in Visual Contact: The fundamental safety principle of maintaining visual contact between the ship-shore liaison and the vehicle driver was violated. The driver continued the maneuver without sight of the bosun.
Inadequate Supervision: Operations on the upper vehicle deck were effectively unsupervised. The bosun was occupied with directing and lashing duties, and other officers were busy with different responsibilities, leaving no one to oversee the unsafe practices.
Organizational and Procedural Failures: There was a significant gap between written procedures and actual work practices. The investigation found that the ship operator and the port operator had failed to effectively coordinate their safety procedures, and lessons from previous similar accidents had not been adequately learned.
Compiled by Shipping Online.
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