Ignoring occupational safety rules led to the death of a seafarer

A young seafarer died on board a sea-river container ship of a Russian company. The incident occurred when the vessel was passing through one of the locks of the Volga-Baltic Canal. 

The death was caused by a negligent attitude towards occupational safety rules during the mooring of the vessel in the lock. 

A tall, big AB was handing the mooring line and stepped on the foot line of the standard railing while throwing the mooring rope onto the "floating" hook of the lock. The seafarer lost his balance and fell into the water. His life jacket was not fastened. The seafarer immediately went under water, since the unfastened vest fell off him. 

According to the medical conclusion, the cause of death was cardiological shock from a sudden fall into the water. As it turned out later, the seafarer did not undergo health and safety induction training at the company, and this type of briefing was conducted by the captain of the container ship. 

The crew members who were involved in the mooring operation on deck failed to fully utilize personal protective equipment, safety footwear, and work clothing, as evidenced by a review of CCTV footage from the location of the incident. For example, they were wearing sneakers, there were no helmets on their heads, and two seafarers did not wear life jackets at all. 

Thus, the seafarer violated occupational safety rules. 

— The fact that the deceased was wearing an unfastened life jacket proved to be fatal in the tragedy that occurred, — the Chief Technical Labor Inspector of the Seafarers' Union of Russia Evgeny Khizhnyak notes. — Had the seafarer secured it, the jacket would have kept him afloat, helped him conserve energy, and helped him get over his inescapable fear of the suddenness of the situation. That is why it is so important to maintain life jackets in good condition and put them on correctly — the chances of a successful operation to rescue a person overboard are significantly increased. 

Evgeny Khizhnyak also reminds that briefing on occupational health and navigation safety prior to the start of any operation on board a vessel is necessary to increase the awareness of crew members about hazards, risks, precautions and communication methods.