200144 Watertight Door Fatality

Watertight Door Fatality
Report No. 200144

Very recently, a man was crushed to death in a closing watertight door on board a semi-submersible rig. Having contacted others in the industry, this is not the only fatality in recent years and, what is more disturbing, is that the incidents of near miss situations appear quite common. There appears to be a lack of understanding on how these doors operate. Some people believe that these doors operate the same way as the average elevator (lift) door or garage door does - by stopping if it encounters any resistance to closing - a fatal mistake! It appears people transiting these doors open them just enough to squeeze through and if they let go of the handle too soon the door closes on them with fatal results.

There was a fatality on a rig in Brazil, on an FPSO in Canada and another on a seismic vessel in the North Sea and probably others I have not heard about. Perhaps you are better able to get some statistics on this, but I believe it is worth the effort to bring this to the attention of members and the marine industry at large.