201255 Hand injury in engine room

After a routine overhaul, the engine crew was re-assembling an air compressor in the E/R workshop. In keeping with good engineering practice, the various components were cleaned and coated with lubricant prior to fitting. The 4/E was putting together and tightening the parts in the correct order but due to the oil coating, found that he was unable to grip the assembling tools firmly. For a better hold, he removed his gloves and proceeded to tighten the fasteners with an open spanner. While exerting force on a nut, his hand suddenly slipped off the spanner and struck a hose clamp (also referred to as a jubilee or worm drive clip) fitted on a pipe in the vicinity, resulting in a deep gash on his left palm.

Root cause/contributory factors
1 Failure to use correct personal protective equipment (PPE) – i.e. gloves;
2 Work place and tools were not wiped clean of the oil resulting in poor hand grip;
3 Restricted space around work area with sharp obstructions and fittings in close proximity.

Corrective/preventative actions
1 Injured crewmember was given first aid treatment and temporarily taken off work;
2 C/E and 2/E conducted a meeting with ship’s staff to discuss the incident and stressed the importance of using appropriate PPE and adopting safe working practices;
3 C/O and 2/E were assigned responsibility for ensuring proper toolbox briefing is conducted prior to commencing any task within their departments;
4 The investigation report was shared within the fleet to focus attention on using appropriate PPE at all times and to prevent recurrence of similar incidents;
5 The incident will be featured in a forthcoming seminar and become part of senior officers’ pre-boarding office briefing.