Safety Alert: RoRo operations serious injury to signaller

 

A vessel was loading semi-trailers on Deck 3. The first semi-trailer came up the ramp from Deck 2, made a 180° turn on Deck 3, and lined up into the first lane to starboard, in reverse.

A signaller was standing near the back of the semi-trailer. Another crew member was stationed on the side of the semi-trailer, ready to start securing, once it was in place. The signaller gave a long signal on a whistle, the signal to the driver to stop. But the semi-trailer kept reversing. Consequently, the signaller was caught between the sem-trailer’s side and one of the vessel’s transverse frames. The signaller suffered a crushing polytrauma with several fractures to face, spine and both sides of the rib cage. The signaller required urgent surgical intervention, was hospitalised for two weeks and spent a further one and a half months in recovery before being considered fit to fly home where treatment continued.

 

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REPORT 

 

CONCLUSIONS

• The signaller was stationed behind the reversing semi-trailer and was caught between the semi-trailer’s side and the vessel’s transverse frame.
• Loud noises on the deck generated by the running ventilator fans and the movement of wheeled cargo, may have contributed to the driver not hearing the whistle.
• The close monitoring of the semi-trailer manoeuvre within the lane necessitated the signaller to position themself close to the semi-trailer, coinciding with the tug master’s blind area.
• The signaller may have had space to escape from the semi-trailer but did not expect the semi-trailer to continue reversing and therefore, was not able to react in time.

 

• Relevant links:
  Safety warning about crushing injuries in stowage spaces after the loss of 1 life on ro-ro ferry Clipper Pennant
  https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/safety-warning-about-crushing-injuries-in-stowage-spaces-after-the-loss-of-1-life-on-ro-ro-ferry-clipper-pennant
• Report on the investigation of the death of a third officer struck by a freight vehicle on the stern ramp of the ro-ro freight ferry Seatruck Progress Brocklebank Dock, Liverpool 15 May 2019
  https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ee08229e90e07141fd1a990/2020-10-SeatruckProgress.pdf

 

ICHCA International is committed to helping industry to learn lessons fast, learn them once and make sure that they stay learnt. This information is intended to provide all organisations in the cargo supply chain with the opportunity to consider the events and to review and adapt their own health and safety control measures to proactively prevent future incidents.

We are grateful to Transport Malta  for providing details and for raising awareness. We acknowledge their commitment to sharing learning to benefit others. If you have similar operations, please share this information with managers, operatives and any potentially affected third parties as appropriate. Please also review any of your relevant operations for similar hazardous conditions, risks, and controls. Learning content like this is highly valuable as it is based on real-world experience. We encourage everyone with publishable information about incidents to send it to us, so that we can raise awareness across the whole industry. Please contact us at secretariat@ichca.com; sharing your insight could save a life or prevent injury.