Hand and finger injuries continue to be a significant theme in the incidents shared with IMCA by its members. This is a summary of one such incident.
What happened
A worker suffered a crushed right little finger whilst moving the moonpool door ram. The ram was placed on a flat pallet at the time, so the potential for movement was high. The movement of the ram crushed the worker’s finger causing a spit in the skin and a fracture.
What went wrong
Although a toolbox talk had been conducted, including a basic risk assessment for manual handling activities, the full scope of the work had not been adequately assessed;
No-one stopped to think and reassess the additional hazard: that the ram would move, was not foreseen.
Lessons
- Look at the ENTIRE situation – consider the use of ABBIE (Above, Behind, Below, Inside and Environment);
- Ensure task-specific risk assessment is sufficiently thorough;
- If the job changes – STOP, re-assess, if necessary, activate a “Management of Change” process;
- Remember you can and should STOP THE JOB if you think it is unsafe – don’t just carry on!
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Source: IMCA
