94011 Person Injury Fell Overboard

 Safety at Sea
- Off Japan. Daytime. Light winds.
- Report No. 94011.

 

A picture (or in this case, two sketches) is worth 1,000 words. The above sketches depict a real incident. Tragically, when the ladder slipped, the bosun was catapulted over the side. He was never found, even after searching for two days by the ship and units of the Japanese Maritime Safety Agency. Proper supervision, safe working habits, a lifeline, proper securing of the ladder, a work vest or a lifejacket — had any one of these been insisted on, we would be writing about a near miss, not a tragic loss of life.

 

There were lashing ropes on the ladder but these were only rigged fore and aft and could not prevent the ladder from slipping inboard and toppling the bosun off. #1 AB tried to attract the attention of the bridge whilst #2AB ran to the poop and tried to release a lifebuoy — the lifebuoys were not in position and those on the boat deck were secured with point line.