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What happened?
Divers were carrying out diving operations on a construction barge.
They were carrying out a dummy spool removal activity on the seabed at a depth of 33 msw (110 fsw).
As the last bolt was being removed, the spool section broke free and rapidly ascended to the surface.
When the two bags arrived at the surface, they lost some of their volume and partially deflated.
The load fell back to the seabed, away from the dive site.
The load was later recovered to the deck of the barge.
The event had potential to cause serious injury and damage to assets.
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Why did it happen?
Absence of hold-back lines from the spool section to suitable fixed anchoring points.
- DMAs had been deployed to the seabed but had not been used as anchoring points.
Failure to follow company procedures, handover instructions and guidance on ‘parachute type underwater air lift bags’.
- Lift bags had been inflated without appropriate ‘hold-back rigging’ in place, although the dive plan stated that lift bags will be installed with hold-back rigging to the dead man anchors (DMA)’.
- This specific activity required supervisor verification and sign-off on step completion.
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What did they learn?
Ensure that:
Dive plans are read, understood, and followed by all personnel.
Mitigations measures identified in risk assessments are applied rigorously.
Diving tasks are conducted following company working procedures.
Dive supervisors take full accountability for the activities they are tasked with.
All procedures for diving operations follow international regulation, health and safety standards and recommendations.
-
Ask yourself or your crew
What is the worst that could have happened?
What risks are associated with subsea lifting activities?
- What measures do we have in place to prevent an incident from happening on our site today?
Are we using DMAs/other anchoring points for lift bags today?
- Who is responsible person for verification and sign-off?
How would you challenge a supervisor that signs off work that wasn’t completed in line with company procedures/work plan?
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What happened?
Divers were carrying out diving operations on a construction barge.
They were carrying out a dummy spool removal activity on the seabed at a depth of 33 msw (110 fsw).
As the last bolt was being removed, the spool section broke free and rapidly ascended to the surface.
When the two bags arrived at the surface, they lost some of their volume and partially deflated.
The load fell back to the seabed, away from the dive site.
The load was later recovered to the deck of the barge.
The event had potential to cause serious injury and damage to assets.
Why did it happen?
Absence of hold-back lines from the spool section to suitable fixed anchoring points.
- DMAs had been deployed to the seabed but had not been used as anchoring points.
Failure to follow company procedures, handover instructions and guidance on ‘parachute type underwater air lift bags’.
- Lift bags had been inflated without appropriate ‘hold-back rigging’ in place, although the dive plan stated that lift bags will be installed with hold-back rigging to the dead man anchors (DMA)’.
- This specific activity required supervisor verification and sign-off on step completion.
What did they learn?
Ensure that:
Dive plans are read, understood, and followed by all personnel.
Mitigations measures identified in risk assessments are applied rigorously.
Diving tasks are conducted following company working procedures.
Dive supervisors take full accountability for the activities they are tasked with.
All procedures for diving operations follow international regulation, health and safety standards and recommendations.
Ask yourself or your crew
What is the worst that could have happened?
What risks are associated with subsea lifting activities?
- What measures do we have in place to prevent an incident from happening on our site today?
Are we using DMAs/other anchoring points for lift bags today?
- Who is responsible person for verification and sign-off?
How would you challenge a supervisor that signs off work that wasn’t completed in line with company procedures/work plan?
Divers were carrying out a dummy spool removal activity on the seabed. As the last bolt was being removed, the spool broke free, ascending to the surface. The lift bags deflated at the surface and the load fell to the seabed.
