While the ship was moored, the engineer was performing maintenance on a turbocharger. There was no safe, permanent ladder or platform for accessing the engine; the crew used a makeshift route across the engine covers.
During the descent, the engineer slipped and fell, sustaining an injury that required surgery.
⚠️ The ATSB found:
🟢 There was no safe method of accessing/descending the work area; the structural hazard had been present for a long time.
🟢 A joint risk assessment (JSA) was not performed before work began, despite the repairs suddenly increasing in scope.
🟢 The crew was under time pressure before the ferry departed, leading to a disregard for safety procedures. 🟢 The vessel had a “culture of routine”: many operations were considered too familiar to waste time on formal checks.
🛠 Following the incident, the TT-Line operator installed:
🟢new removable platforms and safe ladders for accessing engines;
🟢mandatory documented risk assessments for all work at height;
🟢a ban on extended technical work during short layovers.
📌Reminder:
- routine work can be the most dangerous;
- any change in tasks requires a new JSA—even if “it’s just for 5 minutes”;
- lack of safe access is not a temporary inconvenience, but a direct violation that must be corrected before work begins;
- time pressure is a major factor in injury.
Seamen’s Club 🇺🇦 | #news