Crush incident involving steel plates on cable ship Wave Sentinel with loss of 1 life

Location: Off Cornwall, England.

Completed PE Summary: Wave Sentinel

A short summary of the accident and action taken:

Merchant Vessel/Accident Details
Vessel Name Wave Sentinel
Registered Owner/Manager Global Marine Systems
Port of Registry London
Flag UK
Type Cable ship
Built 1995
Gross Tonnage 12330
Date/Time 22/08/2002, 1227
Location of Incident English coastal waters
Incident Type Accident to person
Injuries/Fatalities 1 fatality
Damage/Pollution None

Synopsis

A crewman was fatally crushed under steel plates when unsecured stanchions were removed to assist with the steel plate on to a recently constructed storage rack.

Action taken

The Chief Inspector wrote to the vessel operator highlighting three safety issues

  • No risk assessment for the work carried out

  • Inadequate supervision of the work carried out

  • Cultural differences on board can lead to unquestioned following of superiors orders


Updates to this page

Published 23 January 2015