A vessel was at anchor and crew were undertaking daily maintenance. A scheduled lifeboat waterborne drill had been completed, and one deck crew member was instructed to secure/store the fall preventive device inside the lifeboats.

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.

At one point, he was looking up as he worked on the fall protection device and a small foreign particle got into his right eye. Upon completion of the job, he did not raise the issue, but a few days later the bosun noticed a redness and swelling in the right eye of the crew member. The injury was then reported to the chief officer.

The victim was transferred to the ship’s hospital and provided first aid. After communication with the MEDICO further instructions for medical treatment were given. The first onboard examination revealed that a small participle had stuck in the eye and caused a small irritation. Following onboard treatment and advice via MEDICO, the small object was removed and the irritation vanished one day later.

Also read: Why protective eyewear should be an item of common usage on board ships

Advice from The Nautical Institute

  • As in Mars Report 202450, eye protection at all times and for all tasks. Ideally eye protection should become as ubiquitous as hardhat use. Why not?
  • Any injury or anomaly should be reported by the victim immediately to superiors. Do not wait!

Also read: Pressure washer injury on tanker

Mars Reports

This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 202453, that are part of Report Number 384. 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: Fan blade finger injury on board tanker