Keep walkways free of clutter, also during dry dock work. This is The Nautical Instute’s warning in one of its latest Mars Reports, in which a trip and fall of a crew member led to an injury.
The Nautical Institute gathers reports of maritime accidents and near-misses. It then publishes these so-called Mars (Mariners’ Alerting and Reporting Scheme) Reports (anonymously) to prevent other accidents from happening. A summary of this incident:
A ship was in dry dock and a deck crew member on the night shift was undertaking a safety round. As he reached the bottom of an exterior stairway and began walking, his foot caught a two-inch hose laid on deck. He tripped and fell, but initially thought he was uninjured. Later, his ankle became swollen and a sprained ankle was diagnosed.
Also read: The importance of an unobstructed deck: Small trip on lanyard leads to repatriation
Advice from The Nautical Institute
- Dry dock work is notorious for snake-like arrays of hoses and other tripping hazards on deck areas. Keep walkways safe by making them as clear as possible and using high visibility cable ramps (covers) in areas where there is foot traffic over hoses.
- Keep walkways and stair landings well lit during the hours of darkness.
Mars Reports
This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 202410, that are part of Report Number 376. 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.
Picture (top) by Mert Kayalı.
Also read: Fatal fall from crane grab
