200662 Misstep, fall and injury

03 Mar 2006 MARS

 

Hold washing was in progress on a bulk carrier. The hold bilge system was not able to cope with the volume of wash water, resulting in the tank top being covered with water to a depth of about a meter. A seaman was descending the lower ladder section leading down the lower stool to the tank top. He underestimated the depth of the water, thinking it would take only a descent of about 20 cm from the rung above the water. Releasing his handhold on the ladder, his leading foot entered the water and failing to find the tank top, he lost his balance and fell forward, his head striking the ladder rungs during the course of the fall. He suffered from orbital and sinus fractures and lacerations on the forehead and above the right eyebrow and had to repatriated from the next port.

Root causes/contributory factors
  1. Misjudgment of depth of water;
  2. No supervision or advice given by other crew members.

Other lessons

  1. Seafarers should familiarise themselves with their work areas thoroughly so that they acquire a 'feel' for these locations. In this case, assuming the crew member had been on board for some weeks, he would have correctly gauged the depth of water by simple observation and orientation.
  2. It may be worth painting a simple depth gauge on the lower stool or bulkhead adjacent to the ladder, showing the depth to the tank top.
  3. As a further safety measure, a short, knotted man-rope could be spliced to one of the rungs above the lower stool and could be used by descending personnel in a similar manner to disembarking pilots.
  4. Crew members should always work in teams, mutually guiding and assisting each other.

Editor's note: It is not clear in the report whether the seaman was working alone, but it is more likely that other crew members, if present, were possibly not aware of the rating coming down the ladder.

During hold washing in dry bulkers, particularly if there is substantial cargo residue, and multiple hoses have been used, it is possible that hold bilge pumping systems may lag behind the output of the hose(s). Cargo accumulation over the strainer plates may further slow down removal of wash water in hold. In such cases, it is common for a seaman to stand over the hold bilge well and gently sweep away cargo residue from above the strainer plates. In extreme cases, when cargo is suspected to have blocked the hold bilge lines, a submersible pump may have to be used to remove wash water from the hold. Although not a good practice, it is known that in some ships, the crew have opened the manholes to slack double bottom ballast tanks and allowed the hold wash water to drain into them.

Whatever the circumstances, it cannot be overstressed that all ship operations must be carried out only after proper risk assessment, with seamanlike planning, coordination and supervision.
Feedback - April 2007
Something must have been seriously wrong if the tanktop was covered with water to the depth of one metre during the process of hold washing.

The report does not say what size of bulker was involved, nor does it say whether the hold washing was by hand-held hoses, water cannon or permanent installation, but it is safe to assume the latter as such hoses and water cannon require crew members in the hold who would not have continued working in a metre of water.
Regardless of the size of the vessel, the bilge pumps or eductors should be able to drain the water from the hold faster than the permanent washing installation delivers it. That is necessary because any build up of water over the tanktop reduces the efficiency of the washing. When the system is working properly, the water should flow across the tanktop

It seems likely that both bilge suctions had become blocked, probably with cargo residues, and the washing water had been building up in the holds for some time, perhaps several hours. That represents time wasted while the problem became more serious. It should have been detected much sooner by regular inspection of conditions in the hold by sounding or by shining a powerful light from deck level through a trimming or access hatch.

The Nautical Institute's Bulk Carrier Practice, p 71, states: 'Water should not be allowed to stand. All of the foregoing systems of washing depend upon the flow of water to wash any dirt and residues down the bulkheads and across the tanktop to the bilge suctions. If the washing is to be effective, it is preferable that the water is pumped or educted from the holds continuously and that no pool of standing water is allowed to form on the tanktop…'
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