Try to examine your ship with new eyes to spot hazards in plain sight. The Nautical Institute gives this advice in its latest Mars Report in which anti-slip paint was found missing on a tanker’s deck.
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. This is one of these reports.
On a tanker during a Safety Observation Round it was found that there was no anti-slip paint applied to give safe access to the emergency shower station. Wet decks are notoriously slippery. Also, if an emergency shower station is needed, it is probably an emergency and victims will probably not be paying attention to the condition of the deck.
Also read: Deck shortcut is a safety slip
Advice from The Nautical Institute
- Here, once again, is a good example of examining your ship with new eyes. We often become blind to hazards in plain sight because they have been in plain sight for so long.
- Good practice dictates all deck pathways are covered in non-slip coatings.
Also read: A gap – a slip – an injury on board an LNG tanker: ‘Don’t overreach, ask for help’
Mars Reports
This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 202432, that are part of Report Number 380. 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.
Also read: Stairs slip-up injures crew member
