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6 Injury

his legs and right wrist. He was conscious and in great pain. of the cadets climbed onto the grab to release the wires. The
The vessel made contact with Maritime Rescue Coordination Superintendent shouted to the cadet to get down at once. It

Centre and a helicopter was dispatched to the vessel. At this could be seen that when the grab was on the trailer it was

time the vessel was about 200 miles from land and it took the approximately 10 metres high, which was above the height
helicopter about 4 hours to arrive.restriction at the shipyard and on the roads, and so it was

necessary to change the plan.

Causes:The decision was made to lay the bucket in the closed
The hook on the Bosun’s chair had broken and the Bosun fell. position with one side resting on the trailer bed.

The safety harness had not been secured correctly.The bucket was closed and the grab was lifted and swung

to reposition the bucket in an athwart ship direction. When
the grab was landed it was secured by thick wooden planks

Injury claims case study 3below the bucket sides. Once the grab was stable the cadet

The vessel was alongside waiting to prepare for dry- once again climbed up on the grab to release the two hoisting
docking. The vessel carried cranes with grabs that weighed wires from the crane. At this time the Superintendent was

10 tonnes and were more than 4m high which were used focusing on another task and the other ABs and cadet were

during cargo operations. During the daily safety meeting working with tensioning wires on the trailer and so did not
the superintendent informed personnel that four grabs that the cadet had once again climbed up.

were to be taken ashore. The Chief Oficer had carried out The cadet removed the wires from the grab. He had

a risk assessment of the operation and was monitoring the secured his safety harness to the grab but then released
operation from the vessel. The plan was to land the grabs in the safety harness when he was climbing down, relying on

the open position onto a trailer on the quay.the fact that he had secured a rope to the top of the grab

An AB was operating the crane for lifting the grabs. to assist him while climbing down. The grab appeared to be
Two cadets, the Third Oficer, two ABs and the vessel’s stable but in fact was top heavy with a centre of gravity

Superintendent were on the quay. The Chief Oficer had about one third the way down from the top of the grab, as

instructed the two cadets to help only if speciically it was in the closed position. While the cadet was climbing
needed. The ABs were instructed to remove the wires down from the grab it suddenly moved and fell into the

when the grab was safely secured on the trailer.water with the cadet. The Third Oficer threw a lifebuoy to

The AB operating the crane landed the grabs on the trailer the cadet in the water. He was taken to the hospital where
in the open position with the bucket in a forward and aft he was diagnosed with serious injuries and internal bleeding.

direction. As soon as the grab was landed on the trailer one

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