A large yacht (750 GT, 53m LOA) was launching Personal Water Craft (PWC) while at anchor in the South of France.  When the first PWC had been lowered to main deck height, a deckhand boarded the craft to ride with it to the water, in order to release the lifting slings and bring the PWC round to the stern of the yacht.


The deckhand was standing on the PWC and maintaining balance by holding the synthetic crane cable.  With the PWC suspended approximately 2m above the water, lowering was resumed.  Almost immediately, the inboard lifting slings failed and the PWC dropped to the water.  Without the support of the PWC, the deckhand was unable to hold onto the crane cable and fell onto the PWC in the water.  The deckhand landed face down on the PWC and, although remaining conscious throughout, sustained serious chest injuries.  The deckhand was removed from the water and transferred to a local hospital.  Sadly, he subsequently died from his injuries.


Upon inspection, the steel lifting slings in use were found to have failed in way of the crimped eye connection to the spreader beam. The slings were found to be heavily corroded and this corrosion had not been identified by the onboard maintenance and inspection regime.  Further, the history and origin of the lifting sling was not readily apparent.  It was stated that they were supplied with the PWC, but the model and manufacturer of the sling could not be identified and no manufacturer’s documentation of certification could be located.







Corrosion of slings
Safety Issues

 The risks inherent in all lifting operations, including the launching of watercraft, must be rigorously assessed and safe working practices developed.  
 Procedures for lifting operations should be developed, adhered to during use and periodically reviewed.  
 “Man Riding” activities should only be carried out using certified and tested loose gear. The guidance in the Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seamen, section 15.2 (Working aloft and outboard) and section 21.2 (Use of lifting equipment) should be fully taken into account.  
 Loose gear should be visually inspected before each use and be integrated into the onboard maintenance, inspection and testing regime.  
 Examinations of lifting appliances and loose gear should be carried out by persons competent, by virtue of their knowledge and experience, to do so.  
 When visually inspecting loose gear, sufficient areas under tape and other “protective coverings” should be inspected such that the overall condition of the loose gear can be assessed.

 


NOTE

This document, containing urgent safety information, has been produced for marine safety purposes only, on the basis of information available to date.  The sole objective of the investigation of any accident which is conducted under the Cayman Islands Merchant Shipping Law (2008 Revision) is the prevention of future accidents through the ascertainment of its causes and circumstances.  It is not the purpose of an investigation to determine liability or, except as it is necessary to achieve its objective, to apportion blame.

The Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands (MACI) is carrying out an investigation into this accident. MACI will publish a full report on completion of the investigation.  The report will be available from www.cishipping.com.

In the day to day functions of your vessel, the lowly defibrillator lies in the back of a cupboard or under the helm station.  If the crew is diligent and safety minded, it’s on a checklist and gets a cursory inspection from time to time. Hopefully once or twice a year, when the medical supplies are reviewed, it gets a closer look.

It's Shocking

Electrocution is an ever-present risk onboard a yacht, and it can even happen whilst swimming nearby. A doctor looks at risk factors, symptoms and treatment of electric shocks.


We might make fun of the effects of electrocution or electric shocks – think Itchy and Scratchy plugging each other into the mains on The Simpsons – but the reality is that electricity is dangerous stuff and can be fatal.

We receive an electric shock when our body is in contact with a source of voltage sufficiently high enough to cause a current through our tissues. The minimum current a human can feel is about 1 milliampere (mA). Relatively small currents of electricity (40–70mA) can cause death, usually by affecting the heart or brain.

The current may pass through the heart causing ventricular fibrillation, a condition in which there is uncoordinated contraction of the muscles of the ventricles, making them twitch or quiver. This results in there being no cardiac output or circulation of blood to the rest of the body. This is one cause of cardiac arrest.

If the current passes through the brain there is damage to the nervous tissue, especially the nerves controlling the heart and lungs. Cardiac and respiratory arrest may occur. Even if this does not happen, loss of consciousness will quickly occur.

During an electric shock, heat is generated from the passage of the current with consequent tissue damage. This can be seen on the skin where both entry and exit burns may be found. However, depending on the pathway taken by the current inside the body, other organs such as the liver, kidneys, bowel or lungs may be damaged due to heat effect or dissipation of energy as the current passes through. As can be seen, death may result from a number of causes.

Skin resistance plays a large part in how an electric shock will affect us. Dry, intact skin has the highest resistance. Dry skin is a poor conductor of electricity and will impede the current most. Wet or broken skin has the least resistance and allows the current to flow more easily across the body.

Touching live wires with dry hands may give a shock but the same wires touched by someone who is wet after getting out of the shower or bath may be fatal. Hence we are always warned about the use of electrical appliances in bathrooms. We have all seen movies where the victim is taking a bath and a live electric light (or something equally electrified) is thrown into the water by the murderer to cause death.

Most of us would think that electric shocks could only happen whilst onboard a yacht. However they may also occur when swimming near a boat and death can result from electric shock drowning. Faulty wiring on a yacht may cause the underwater hull metals to become energised. The same thing may happen when shore power leaks into a marina or dock. Someone swimming close to the hull may experience a low level current through the body that causes ventricular fibrillation or muscle spasm with loss of the ability to move, both of which may result in drowning. Because of the risk of electric shock drowning no one should swim in marinas.

If you come across someone who has collapsed onboard, always consider the possibility of electricity being involved and check the immediate area for signs of danger to yourself. Shout for help and your emergency medical equipment. Do not approach the victim until you are sure any power source has been switched off or disconnected.

Once it is safe to approach you should ascertain if the person is responding, and if not go through your cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) protocol. Remember that ventricular fibrillation can be determined and treated only by using a defibrillator. This is an important, life-saving piece of equipment to have onboard for emergency use.

When consciousness is lost after an electric shock it will always be necessary to get medical advice about further management. Monitoring of vital signs and conscious level will be needed for at least 24 hours and further investigation or a period of observation in hospital may be advised. Any burns will need immediate treatment, and if full thickness skin loss is present, skin grafting may be required.

A well-maintained boat that has had regular safety checks will reduce the chance of electrocution occurring but as a recent tragic incident onboard has shown, it will not eliminate all risk. A well-trained crew, with the right medical equipment to hand can make all the difference between life and death in the event of collapse due to electric shock.


WORDS Dr Ian Marshall


Dr Ian Marshall is Medical Director at Ocean Medical International.

Medical Kit Provisioning for Vessels

Vessels are getting bigger and traveling further than ever before. Everyone is looking for that perfect remote destination. Deciding what medical supplies to have aboard is unfortunately not at the top of the list when preparing the vessel. Knowing what to look for in a medical kit can be a daunting task.