Unqualified Engineer Electrocuted After High-Voltage Panel Incident Onboard OSV

A tragic accident occurred aboard the offshore supply vessel Red Stag (O.N. 1251769) while it was docked at Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

On October 14, 2023, a crew member identified as an Unqualified Engineer (UE) lost his life after coming into contact with an energised high-voltage panel.

The Red Stag, a 184-foot offshore supply vessel, had recently been in dry dock and moved to the Adriatic Marine dock in Port Fourchon on October 13, 2023, to get ready for an upcoming job.

The vessel had a crew of five at the time, including the Master, Relief Captain, and three other crewmembers.

The crew changed shifts around 4:30 pm on October 13. The Relief Captain, the Unqualified Engineer, and a Deckhand (DH) took over the watch.

As per routine, the outgoing and incoming watch teams shared updates on completed and pending tasks. The outgoing 1st Engineer told the UE that the mud pump system had been used to level the vessel.

The crew members taking over were assigned to clean the engine room, clean interior spaces, and prepare for mooring stations. Job Safety Analyses (JSA) were completed for these tasks, the UE completed one for the engine room work, the DH for interior cleaning, and both for the mooring work.

At around 5:30 am the next day, the UE asked the DH where the voltage meter was but the DH didn’t know. About an hour later, at 6:40 am the Master found the UE unresponsive on the floor of the engine room near an open mud pump high voltage panel.

Despite the crew promptly initiating first aid and the swift arrival of emergency services, the unqualified engineer was declared dead at 7:40 a.m.

After the investigation, the USCG found that the likely cause of the accident was a mechanical issue in the mud pump system, which led to the UE attempting to access the high-voltage panel.

Several contributing factors were identified:

Lack of Engineering Experience: The mud pump system onboard OSVs usually has an emergency stop located on the aft deck, allowing crew members to shut it down without going to the engine room. This stop, when pulled, breaks the circuit and cuts off power. To restart, the button must be pushed back in to close the circuit.

Due to the UE’s limited understanding of the system, he may have mistakenly thought the pump had an electrical fault and accessed the live panel unnecessarily.

Failure to Follow Safety Protocols: The company’s Safety Management System (SMS) requires all tasks to be approved by the Master, with a JSA completed before starting any work. In this case, the Master was unaware of any issues with the mud pump, and no JSA was filled out for troubleshooting.

The UE did not have the required qualifications to work on the high-voltage system alone, and company rules required the presence of the 1st Engineer during suck work.

Missing Emergency Stop Indicator: Many shipboard systems have visible or audible alerts when emergency stops are activated. The absence of such an indicator may have left the UE unaware that the emergency stop was active.

No Locking Device on High Voltage Panel: Dangerous machinery like high-voltage panels have locks controlled by senior crew members to limit access.

In this case, the panel was not secured, allowing the UE to enter it without supervision. If a locking device had been present, he would have needed permission from the Master or 1st Engineer, which might have prevented the accident.

The Coast Guard confirmed that:

The initial cause was likely the failure of the mud pump system.
The UE came into contact with live electrical components after opening the panel.
The accident involved no misconduct, negligence, or law violation by any credentialed mariner, Coast Guard personnel,or other individuals.
No civil or criminal actions were identified, and no new laws or regulations were found to be necessary as a result.
No unrelated unsafe actions or conditions were found.

For the full report, click https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/5p/CG-5PC/INV/ROIs/RED_STAG_7874488_ROI_Redacted.pdf

Reference: USCG

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