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6 Injury

6.3 Injury claims

Slips and falls – mainly caused by:

Statistics show that slips and falls are the biggest concern • Equipment on deck
• Poorlighting
on all three types of vessel studied. The locations on
• Catwalks and grating damaged during loading and
board where most injuries occur are the cargo deck area,
machinery room and open deck areas. Most injuries happen unloading

during routine maintenance, which normally requires a work

permit and risk assessment. There should be procedures in
the SMS which address these tasks.. The concern is that Being struck by a falling object – mainly caused by:

these procedures have been ignored.• Equipment not secured for sea

The three most common claim types are slips and
falls, being struck by a falling object and being caught in

machinery. This is similar across all three types of vessel. One
Being caught in machinery – mainly caused by:
concern is that almost 60% of all slips and falls occur on
container vessels. The reason for this might be that there are • Not issuing or following work permits and risk
assessments
a lot of stevedores involved in loading a container vessel and
a great deal of equipment lying on deck when containers are • Taking short cuts

being secured.

Injury claims case study 1Causes:

The vessel was in port and the Master planned to carry out The manager had received no speciic instructions

a rescue boat drill because no drill had been completed in using the training manual, SMS, PMS or any other manual
since the vessel was delivered about a month earlier. The on how the rescue boat should be launched. In SOLAS

weather was favourable and the harbour authority had chapter III regulation 35.3 there is a requirement for detailed

given the vessel clearance to launch and manoeuvre the instructions in the training manual on how the rescue boat
rescue boat in the harbour. The personnel assigned to the should be launched. In the Chief Oficer’s statement he

rescue boat in an emergency were the Chief Oficer, Bosun, stated that this was the irst time he was involved in a rescue

Oiler, and the Third Engineer.boat drill even though he had been a Chief Oficer for more
The Chief Oficer was in charge of organising the drill. than a year and been at sea since 2002. It is important to be

He had joined the vessel in the shipyard about two months aware that there is a SOLAS chapter III reg 3.3.6 requirement

before delivery. During that time he had watched the that the rescue boat should be launched every month or a
shipyard complete a rescue boat drill but had not been minimum of every three months.

involved himself.

Before the drill commenced the Chief Oficer had a short
brieing with all available crew and the Master.Injury claims case study 2

After the brieing, the crew assigned to the rescue boat It was morning and the Bosun and three other AB’s had

embarked. The Master informed the rescue boat crew that planned to remove some rust and paint from one of the
the safety pin should be removed before the rescue boat cargo holds. The Bosun started to scrape the parts he could

was waterborne. He did not state at what precise height reach from the tank top and when this was done a ladder

the pin should be removed but assumed the crew would was rigged to reach areas higher up.
remove it just before the boat was waterborne.The Bosun and the AB’s were working at different areas

The Chief Oficer pulled the slewing wire until the boat in the cargo hold. The Bosun climbed up the ladder he had

was positioned so it could be lowered. He then pulled the rigged. Suddenly a thud was heard and the AB’s saw the
lowering wire until the boat was three metres above the Bosun lying on the tank-top on his back, the Bosun’s chair

surface, where he removed the safety pin. At the same and safety harness was lying by his legs.

time the slewing wire, which was hanging free, somehow One of the AB’s raised the alarm and the Master sounded
got caught in the release lever for the hook and caused the the emergency alarm and mustered the emergency team

boat to drop into the water. The boat was quickly retrieved by the hold. The crew managed to secure the Bosun on a

and the injured crew received medical attention.stretcher and take him to the vessel’s hospital bay. He was
bleeding from his head, ears and nose and had fractured

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