Lock out/tag out (LOTO) when performing machinery maintenance on a ship and take vessel motions into account. The Nautical Institute gives this warning in a new Mars Report, which describes how an engineer sustained a serious hand 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. This is one of these reports.
A vessel was underway in bad weather and was pitching and rolling. An engineer was tasked with a routine check of an A/C compressor. He removed the safety guard of the still running compressor, but the motion of the ship caused him to lose balance. He instinctively grabbed forward to steady himself, but his left hand came into contact with the moving belt of the compressor and was badly injured.
The next day he was evacuated to shore facilities for expert attention.
Also read: LOTO lapse causes fatal ship repair accident
Advice from The Nautical Institute
- Before any intervention, machinery should be fully stopped and isolated (lock out/tag out, LOTO).
- Effective risk assessment, work planning meetings, and toolbox talks are essential. They should include specific consideration of vessel motion, weather conditions, and human factors.
- Crew members shall be encouraged and empowered to exercise Stop Work Authority whenever unsafe conditions are identified.
Also read: Neglecting LOTO procedures results in crew member injury
Mars Reports
This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 202625. 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.
