The Nautical Insititute has issued a warning in its latest Mars Report to check for hazards hiding in plain view on board ships. A partially detached name-plate of an engine room escape trunk prompted the warning.
The Nautical Institute gathers reports of maritime accidents and near-misses. It then publishes these so-called Mars Reports (anonymously) to prevent other accidents from happening. A summary of this incident:
During a safety check on deck, the name-plate of an engine room escape trunk was found to be partially detached.
This unsafe condition could easily have caused a serious injury. The name-plate was quickly repaired.
Also read: Nautical Institute warns for mooring ropes with embedded hazards
Advice from The Nautical Institute
- Do a safety round on your vessel; try to look with “new eyes” to see if there are hazards hiding in plain view.
- Even seemingly small defects can have potentially terrible consequences. This nameplate was an accident waiting to happen.
Also read: Safety equipment becomes snag hazard and crew member injures finger
Mars Reports
This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 202321, that are part of Report Number 367. A selection of this Mars Report was also published in SWZ|Maritime’s June 2023 issue. The Nautical Institute compiles these reports to help prevent maritime accidents. That is why they are also published (in full) on SWZ|Maritime’s website.
More reports are needed to keep the scheme interesting and informative. All reports are read only by the Mars coordinator and are treated in the strictest confidence. To submit a report, please use the Mars report form.
Also read: ‘Use high visibility paint markings for tripping hazards on ships’
