Adherence to the onboard safety procedures and other instructions, such as the manufacturer’s information manual, is a prerequisite for safe operations. The Nautical Institute gives this warning in its latest Mars Report in which crew were burned by hot diesel fuel.
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:
A vessel was at sea, proceeding to the next scheduled port. An engineer was tasked with replacing the fuel filter on one of the diesel generators as part of planned maintenance schedule.
As he was removing nuts to replace the filter, the gasket suddenly burst. A jet of hot diesel fuel sprayed out and onto him and another attending crew member who was in training.
The affected crew members were transferred to a safe place for first aid. One victim reported a skin burn to the right part of the neck and lips, while the other reported minor skin irritation on the hand near the fingers.
Also read: Crew member injured by pressure washer
Investigation findings
The manufacturer’s information manual contained the steps to be followed for this procedure. An analysis of the sequence of events showed the crew member had missed four important steps in this task. Among other things, and most notably, he had not shut the inlet and outlet valves of the fuel filter nor checked the pressure gauge before unbolting.
Further investigation revealed that he was not sufficiently familiar with that specific maintenance job. The lack of strict supervision from senior staff also contributed to the chain of errors resulting in the incident.
Also read: When is a supervisor not a supervisor?
Advice from The Nautical Institute
- As in Mars Report 202350 published earlier, adherence to the onboard safety procedures and other instructions, such as the manufacturer’s information manual, is a prerequisite for safe operations.
- Also as in Mars Report 202350, proper supervision is a key element for safer operations.
Picture: Stock photo of an engine room.
Also read: Crew member without PPE suffers hot sludge burns
Mars Reports
This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 202352, that are part of Report Number 373. A selection of the Mars Reports are also published in the SWZ|Maritime magazine. 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.
