200749 - Never hold the work piece

Never hold the work piece	MARS Report 200749

While working in the engine room workshop, the vessel's fitter, who was engaged in drilling a hole through a small square metal sheet, suffered serious lacerations on his left hand due to a failure to follow safe working practices.

 

Despite having been given many training sessions, and being fully aware of the hazards involved in working with power tools, the fitter attempted to drill a hole in the work piece while holding it in his left hand instead of securely fixing it in a vice or other appropriate clamping device. Inevitably, the drill bit 'caught' the work piece, causing it to suddenly rotate in the fitter's hand, with the sharp edges cutting through his protective glove and into the flesh of his left hand. He was given urgent medical treatment onboard and ashore, and was off work for several days.

Root cause/contributory factors

1. Improper risk assessment/briefing;
2. Poor work practices;
3. Inadequate supervision at the work site by senior officers;

Lessons learnt

1. Safe working practices must be continually followed and actively reinforced by officers at the management level.
2. Irrespective of rank, each person on board has a collective responsibility for safety and safe working practices.
3. If any person becomes aware that an individual is not working safely, the work should be immediately halted and the matter should be brought to the attention of the safety officer, head of department and the master. The onboard safety and health committee must then analyse the incident, determine the causes and implement appropriate corrective actions.