Safety Lessons from Marine Incident Investigation (AMSA Report) No.32 – November 2024

Overview

A crew member’s arm was crushed between the vessel and a pylon while tending to mooring lines.

What happened

A charter vessel was coming alongside to berth.  An experienced crew member was handling the lines on the port aft bollard. 

While attempting to move the line around a pylon to secure the vessel, their arm became jammed between the bollard and the pylon.  This caused a crushing injury to their arm that required medical attention.

Investigation findings

The investigation found that:

• While the operation did have a Safety Management System in place, it did not identify risks associated with line handling, such as crushing.
• The crew induction record did not record the signature of the person participating in the induction process.
• While the crew member was experienced and knew of the dangers of getting between the vessel and other structures, they put the incident down to being overconfident and complacent.

Safety message

A major contributing factor to crew injuries is the quality of Safety Management System implementation, including risk assessment, safety procedures, crew training and emergency drills¹ .

It is important that risk assessments consider the ways in which injuries may occur in the operation of a vessel. 

General safety duties require that owners provide information, instruction, training or supervision to people on board the vessel to ensure their safety. 

Safety management systems must be based on a risk assessment of a vessel’s operations.  It must include written procedures for onboard operations that address the risks identified in the risk assessment.  The owner must ensure that the master and crew receive induction, familiarisation and training in these procedures.  The training and induction must be recorded in writing, including the name and signature of any person participating, and the date the training occurred. 

Safety information on this topic

• Risk management in the national system
• General Safety Duties for Domestic Commercial Vessels
• Safety management systems

Footnote

¹ AMSA, National Compliance Plan 2024-25, Risk Area 3.6, Poorly implemented safety management systems.