200956 Fatalities in enclosed spaces

Fatalities in enclosed spaces
MARS Report 200956

Official report; edited from MAIB Safety Bulletin 2/2008

Three experienced seamen died inside the chain locker on board a vessel. The first two were overcome while tying off an anchor chain to prevent it from rattling in the spurling pipe. The third to die was the first rescuer who entered the chain locker wearing an emergency escape breathing device (EEBD). He was soon constrained by the device and removed its hood. All three men died as a result of the lack of oxygen inside the chain locker caused by the ongoing corrosion of its steel structure and anchor chain.

An experienced seaman died on board a cruise ship after he entered an almost empty ballast tank. The tank's manhole cover, which was inside a small cofferdam accessed from within the engine room, had been removed and the seaman had been instructed to confirm the tank's contents. As it had not been intended that the seaman would enter the tank, no permit to work was issued.

When the seaman was found to be missing, an experienced motorman was sent into the cofferdam to check on his wellbeing. He found the seaman lying at the bottom of the empty tank and raised the alarm. The motorman then entered the tank but collapsed when trying to recover the seaman.

After the ship's emergency response team provided air to the stricken crew via in-line breathing apparatus, the motorman recovered and was able to leave the tank. However, the seaman never regained consciousness. He had been asphyxiated in the oxygen-depleted atmosphere of the tank, which had not been inspected for several years and was heavily corroded. It is not certain why the seaman entered the tank but it is likely that it was to determine whether a small quantity of water in the tank bottom was salt or fresh.

Lessons learned
Tragically, accidents in enclosed/confined spaces continue to be one of the most common causes of work-related fatalities on board ships today. This is due to:
Complacency leading to lapses in procedure;
Lack of knowledge;
Potentially dangerous spaces not being identified; and,
Would-be rescuers acting on instinct and emotion rather than knowledge and training.
While the holding of breath might seem a logical step to a person entering a tank 'for a few seconds' or to a would-be rescuer, it is all too frequently the last life-sustaining breath he or she ever takes.