Beware of Potential Crush Zones!
IMCA reports an incident in which a crew member was struck by a forklift truck during quayside operations, and suffered fatal injuries.
Summary
Two crew members planned to move pipes with slings from a pipe rack. They decided to use a forklift truck with a spreader bar that consisted of an I beam 21/2m long by 20cm wide.
When a crew member started the forklift, the forks hit the spreader bar and moved it toward the rack. The left calf of the crew member got caught between the bar and the rack. The accident caused severe bruising.
The incident lead to loss of time and work of around two weeks.
Why did this happen?
The injured crew member was a short service employee who was being mentored by a more experienced ‘lead man’. The more experienced mentor had left the scene before the forklift truck was started to perform another task elsewhere, leaving the lift to another crew member and the short service employee.
The incident happened when a vessel crew member was tasked with unloading stores from a container on the quayside. He descended the vessel gangway and headed towards the containers situated close by. It was during this short excursion that the crew member was struck by a forklift and fatally injured.
Initial Findings
The investigation is still ongoing, but initial findings have indicated the following as possible contributory factors:
- Blind spots within the forklift operator’s field of view from the operating cab.
- Obscured vision due to sunlight.
Observations
- This tragedy is a stark reminder that when working near moving vehicles or heavy equipment, persons must remain in the operator’s full view.
- If you can’t see the operator, they won’t be able to see you; Remain vigilant at all times around routine activities through exercising situational awareness.
- Don’t ‘assume you are safe’, ‘ensure you are safe’.
- During project mobilisation/demobilisation(s) and vessel port calls with/without project activity, focus must continue to be given to the following quayside arrangements:
- traffic management
- designated walkways/segregation from traffic
- crane operations
- landing and loading areas
- vehicle banksman (where required and assessed as not adding risk)
- storage areas
- parking areas
- quayside edge operations
- pre-shift briefings/toolbox talks
Lesson Learnt
- The inexperienced crew member must not put himself in a hazardous situation.
- The mentoring program and a proper explanation of work procedures should be emphasised in pre-shift meetings and during vessel orientation.
- If the mentor had to leave the immediate work area during lifting operations, work should stop until they return.
- Personnel should inspect their work areas and identify hazards that need to be removed.
- Mentors should emphasise work procedures in a toolbox talk whenever there are changes to the circumstances of the work being conducted.
- Mentors should identify the risks associated with a task to short service employees and explain the hazards and preventative measures.
- Circulate a safety notice to vessel crews via a scheduled ‘Time Out for Safety’ and to the industry via IMCA.
- Revisit and reassess mobilisation and demobilisation plans, procedures, practices and briefings in light of the above.
- Review all Project Hazard Identification & Risk Analysis (HIRA) and Vessel/Site Risk Assessments to ensure appropriate mitigation and controls are in place.
- Review effectiveness of toolbox talks, supervision and working practices on mobilisation sites.
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Source & Image Credits: IMCA
