Fall from height into ballast tank

A welder and two helpers were installing additional stiffeners on the inside of a water ballast tank.

When approaching the worksite inside the tank, one of the helpers fell through an opening on the tween deck. The opening was part of the design of the vessel to allow water to pass through.

The injured person was rescued and taken by helicopter to an intensive care unit.

The injured person crossed a handrail inside the tank on the way to the worksite.

The job was not properly planned ahead - the injured person was a last-minute addition to the team following a risk assessment conducted before starting work.

A permit to work was put in place for the confined space entry and the hot work, but the job specifics were not considered.

Stop work authority was not used:

• Following a previous inspection on site, it was requested that scaffolding is installed as a way of improving access to the worksite.
• The welding team was not advised to wait until scaffolding was installed.

The team were not used to working in confined spaces. They considered it a routine job and did not stay together during the task.

Tank surfaces are slippery when the tank is empty. Make sure that you can access the worksite safely.

Review and update risk assessments for confined space entry – highlight measures for safe access and the hazards of working at height.

Retrain workers during risk assessments, focusing on the importance of managing change. When conditions change, stop the work, and re-evaluate the risks!

Emphasise the importance of the ‘stop work authority’.

• Have you or a colleague ever been involved in a fall like this? What happened?
• What should you do if you observe someone working in an unsafe manner (e.g. crossing a barrier/handrail)?
• What risk assessments do you carry out before entering a confined space?
• How do you trigger a ‘stop work’ procedure?
• What measures do we have in place to prevent this from happening here? How can we improve?