1. Answer the questions.

1. When did the pilot disembark?

2. What were the weather conditions?

3. Did the bosun perform the job without any assistance?

4. Where did the bosun place the pilot ladder?

5. What did the assisting crew have to do to avert the disaster?

6. Did the crew manage to fulfill the bosun’s order?

7. How did the bosun appear in water?

8. What means were used in search and rescue operation?

9. Why did the mechanism fail?

10. What was the recommended length of the accommodation ladder?

2. Explain the following terms.

1. A vessel underway___________________________________________________________

2. Pilot boarding arrangements____________________________________________________

3. Accommodation ladder_________________________________________________________

4. Latching mechanism____________________________________________________________

5. Pilot ladder___________________________________________________________________

6. To heave up____________________________________________________________________

7. Hoisting wire__________________________________________________________________

3. Decide whether the statements are true (t) or false (f). Correct the wrong ones.

1. The pilot has just embarked the vessel._____

2. The sea was rough and there was a heavy swell._______

3. The bosun tried to perform the operation alone.____

4. The bosun asked one of the assisting crew to lower the accommodation ladder._______

5. Life saving appliances were used to help the bosun.______

6. The bosun and the crew complied with the company procedure for this operation._______

4. Complete the following statements.

1. The accommodation ladder was mistakenly__________________________________________

2. The non-permanent air hose connections for powering the hoist / lower function of the accommodation ladder, which were unmarked, were_____________________________________

3. The accommodation ladder was in fact only 55 long instead of_____________________________________________________________________________

4. The bosun was working without___________________________________________________

5. Find in the text all life saving appliances. Name them, describe their function

6. Complete an accident report (see annex) covering the following items.

1. Description of the situation;

2. Direct causes, root causes of the accident;

3. Remedial actions and recommendations.

Case study – 3. Darkened workplace and an unprotected hazard to fatality

A gas tanker was moored at a shipyard and personnel were busy preparing for maintenance. The shipyard had issued permits to enter tanks which, in theory, meant the tanks were adequately ventilated and illuminated. During a preliminary inspection it was found that a maintenance hatch cover had become dislodged from the deck in the lower tank dome and had fallen 17 metres to the bottom of a cargo tank, leaving the maintenance hatch open and unsecured.

Work inside the tank started the next day. One of the tasks was to recover the maintenance hatch cover. Instructions were issued to the crew to be extra vigilant on account of the unsecured open hatch in the lower dome; none of them had entered this tank before but the bosun and AB had previously entered similar tanks.

The bosun, the AB and an OS began by lowering equipment to recover the hatch cover into the lower tank dome. The AB then went into the lower tank dome. He was not sure where the maintenance hatch was located so he used his torch to get an overview. When he had located the hatch, he started to rig the recovery equipment about 3 metres from the opening.

The bosun followed close behind. He looked around to locate the opening in the deck then joined the AB. No lighting had yet been rigged up in the tanks but both men carried portable lights and felt comfortable that these would provide sufficient light for the time being. Both men were working on preparing the equipment, with their backs to the entrance ladder.

The OS followed a few munites later carrying a hand-held torch. The bosun heard the OS as he started to climb the ladder but after one or two minutes he realized the OS was not with them. He shone his light around the space to locate the OS but he was nowhere to be seen. The bosun then went over to the open hatch and looked into the tank. He saw the OS lying immobile at the bottom of the tank 17 metres below.

Within 10 minutes the victim had been brought out on deck and first aid was administered. The victim was brought to a nearby hospital but he was subsequently declared dead.

Lessons learnt:

- Even if the paperwork is done, the permits to enter tanks were completed, always ensure the required safety measures are actually in place before starting the work. Proper lighting and a barrier around the open maintenance hatch would have prevented the fatality.

- We tend to get with on the work without first analyzing the workspace for possible hazards. Before starting a task ask yourself, “What needs to be done here to make the workspace safe?”

- The ordinary seaman was apparently aware of the open and unsecured maintenance hatch when he entered the tank, but he didn’t know where in the tank the hatch was located; he had never been inside a cargo tank before. Familiarization with the space and the hazard would have helped him to avoid the accident.

- Hand-held lights are no substitute for cluster lighting arrangements. Always work in a properly illuminated space.