203453 Eye protection needed

A vessel was at anchor and crew were undertaking daily maintenance. A scheduled lifeboat waterborne drill had been completed, and one deck crew member was instructed to secure/ store the fall preventive device inside the lifeboats. At one point he was looking up as he worked on the fall protection device and a small foreign particle got into his right eye. Upon completion of the job, he did not raise the issue but a few days later the Bosun noticed a redness and swelling in the right eye of the crew member. The injury was then reported to the Chief Officer.

The victim was transferred to the ship’s hospital and provided first aid. After communication with the MEDICO further instructions for medical treatment were given. The first onboard examination revealed that a small participle had stuck in the eye and caused a small irritation. Following onboard treatment and advice via MEDICO the small object was removed and the irritation vanished one day later.

Lessons learned

• As in MARS 202450 of this issue, eye protection at all times and for all tasks. Ideally eye protection should become as ubiquitous as hardhat use. Why not?

• Any injury or anomaly should be reported by the victim immediately to superiors. Do not wait!