202409 : Shortcut cuts safety short

On a vessel at anchor, a crewmember was assigned to replace a leaking hydraulic pipe on one of the hatch covers. Once the job was completed the crewmember attempted to regain the clear deck area by walking over adjacent deck pipes that were about 50cm above deck level, rather than walking to one of the raised walkways allowing access over the pipelines at regular intervals. While walking over these raised pipes he slipped and fell, with his back striking the raised pipes. He suffered disc lesions to his lower spine.

There are raised walkways allowing access over the pipelines at regular intervals on the main deck.

Lessons learned

• Decisions made for the sake of expediency are rarely compatible with safety
• Ask yourself, is there a safer way? If the answer is yes, take the safer way