A team consisting of the chief officer and a number of deck crew were engaged in the renewal of the runner wire of a deck crane on a cargo ship. When the joint between the old and new wire ropes would not pass through the jib head sheave, one of the seamen climbed on top of the block to push the wire through the block. He carried a safety belt with him but did not fasten it to a strong point. While exerting force, he lost his balance and fell from his precarious perch to the deck, through a height of about 6.5 metres. He was severely injured and the vessel had to be diverted to land him ashore.
Root cause/contributory factors
- Failure to secure safety belt to a fixed point after reaching the jib head;
- Improper supervision by chief officer and other crewmembers;
- Failure to follow the recommendations of code of safe working practices and company safety manual.
Other valuable lessons
- Even if a proper risk assessment is carried out beforehand, deviations from agreed procedures can render the operation unsafe.
- Even though joining the ends of two wire ropes by a temporary seizing is commonly used for the speedy renewal of wires on lifting appliances, it must be appreciated that the seizing will not have an easy passage through multiple leads, sheaves and possible obstructions. In the case of the joint coming apart during the process, injury is likely and frustration certain.
- Reeving a small diameter messenger of sufficient strength and length through the rigging as the old wire is being unreeved, and subsequently securely bending the messenger on to a small single-strand eye or the plain end of the new runner wire with a series of timber hitches, may be a safer method.
- In keeping with current practice, a safety body harness is to be used instead of a safety belt around the waist, to minimise injury caused by a jerky fall arrest.
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