Advancements in preventing enclosed space deaths
Words: Martin Shaw Chair of the IMarEST's Human Element Working Group
The IMarEST is a member of the Human Element Industry Group (HEIG), an influential group of NGO’s aiming to improve safety. The group has spent the last year researching the problem of enclosed space deaths and in 2022, we will start rolling out the results. The project has involved about 50-100 members from the 16 HEIG participants.
Enclosed space accidents are the biggest occupational killer aboard ship and there is little sign of improvement. Some 10-20 seafarers die a year in enclosed spaces. Investigations tend to blame the victim for not following procedures without looking any deeper. Intermanager recently ran a survey of 5000 seafarers. Some interesting points came from that survey.
- Procedures often seem to seafarers, difficult to understand, confusing, and do not take account of the resources, equipment and time available aboard the vessel.
- Investigations point to failures in the victims and in particular their failure to follow procedures.
- Commercial/time pressure is a significant factor and was described as ‘verging on abuse’.
- Design and equipment added to the problems by creating hazards.
- Training was seen as being limited to tanker trades.
As IMarEST members, we need to be aware that enclosed space deaths, while mostly occurring in cargo areas, can also occur elsewhere including in bunker tanks, other consumable tanks and even inside machinery. Many members may have to go into enclosed spaces including those at sea, involved in surveying and shipbuilding and repair.
The enclosed space project has a number of workstreams and about two dozen IMarEST members from the HEWG, Naval Engineering SIG and Ship Repair, Maintenance & Safety SIG have been involved. Two of the biggest workgroups are led by IMarEST.
Taking onboard the feedback from those at sea, the project used the hierarchy of hazard control (see below) which is a widely used model based on the premise that if you remove a hazard, there is no risk and no need to manage it!
This was particularly relevant to the technical solutions workgroup, which had a strong IMarEST representation, and looked at how you engineer out the need for people to go into dangerous spaces. This included looking at reducing the requirements to enter enclosed spaces and allow maintenance and inspection to be carried out without entering the space. Drones, remote cameras, digital pairs and remote cleaning robots have also been considered. Where entry is still required then there is a need to look at access and ventilation as well as monitoring systems. One ‘task force’ has come up with some major ideas on how to change the way enclosed spaces are classified and managed.
The time pressure workgroup is looking at the effect of time pressure on enclosed space entry. Time pressure is a wider problem in the industry even going back to such incidents as the Titanic and the Herald of Free Enterprise. While ISM was created to deal with the lessons of the ‘Herald’ it does not seem to have dealt with the problem of time pressure. Nearly thirty years on ships are still being put under excessive pressure by charterers, owners and ports which can result in time being limited for ventilating tanks prior to surveys. Time pressure also affects navigation, as we know. Shipping is an integral part of the global supply chain and as customers reduce their stockholding costs using Just in Time delivery the pressure to be arrive on time and indeed sail on time increases.
When all is said and done there will always be a need to enter enclosed spaces and other work groups are looking at other aspects of it.
One group is looking at regulations and procedures and how they can be improved. Enclosed space entry is complex, resource intensive and require a lot of ‘moving parts’ to fit together to work. Another group, involving the Marine Accident Investigators Forum are working on guidance for investigating enclosed space deaths and time pressure. This work will be used to influence the way that flag state and owners’ investigations are carried out. Training is also being reviewed Over the next few months all of the learning from this work will be rolled out with a view to increasing awareness, improving training, and driving industry and regulatory change.
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