201348 Tiger stripes not enough

An oiler was proceeding to the engine room via the engine casing entrance. After leaving the paint locker he hit his forehead on the inert gas (IG) main line directly above and to the side of the paint locker entrance. The oiler suffered a cut to the forehead.

 

 

Root causes
1 The crew member was not wearing correct PPE for the task.
2 The crew member was preoccupied with the task at hand.
3 The IG main line had been previously identified as a hazard, and was already marked with ‘tiger stripes’. Nonetheless, due to regular passing of the pipe without incident crewmembers had become complacent about the danger.

Action taken
1 A company wide review of trip and bump hazards on vessels and a reassessment of whether current warning/identification measures are sufficient, or if additional measures are required.
2 In this case it has been identified that ‘tiger stripes’ on the piping alone were an insufficient visual warning. Tiger stripes have now been painted on the deck and a soft protective covering placed around the flange.