202022 Uneven Stairs

A visitor on a vessel almost fell as he descended the last steps of the exterior accommodation ladder. The last two treads were not equidistant from the rest of the stairs. This appeared to be an ‘as built’ construction issue but was clearly a tripping/fall hazard that had not yet been identifi ed by the crew. Although the upper and lower steps of these stairs were nicely tigerstriped to identify them, the stairs themselves were not totally safe.

Lessons learned

●  As a design principle, stair treads should always be equidistant.

●  We often become accustomed to hazards in plain sight; sometimes visitors are more likely to identify these than crew. Try taking a walk about on your vessel and look for hazards with ‘new’ eyes.

● Always have at least one hand on a railing when using stairs.