Accidents at Sea: Falling Off a Lifeboat Causes Death

Accidents at sea occur mainly because of the sheer carelessness of seafarers. Basic safety policies and equipment use are often neglected, leading to severe, life-threatening accidents. However, when an accident involves the death of a seafarer, it becomes a serious issue.

Seafarers often neglect safety procedures and equipment to get the work done quickly. In the process, they keep their lives on stake, unaware of the dangerous threats they are exposed to.

This actual incident is about a seaman who lost his life while working on the deck without taking basic precautions.

The Incident

The incident took place on a container vessel. While the ship was berthed at the port, the chief officer issued instructions to clean one of the lifeboats. It had been raining heavily the whole day, and the deck was pretty slippery. One of the seamen was sent on the deck to do the job.

The seaman climbed up the davit and started doing the job. However, while working, he slipped and fell headfirst from the lifeboat onto the deck. He was immediately given first aid and taken to a hospital ashore.

After doing check-ups at the hospital, it was found that one of the sides of his skull had developed a crack, and there was continuous internal bleeding. He was shifted to one of the best hospitals for better treatment. However, because of the continuous internal bleeding, the seaman died within a week’s time.

Conclusion

It later turned out that the seaman did not follow any safety guidelines. He was neither wearing a safety helmet nor had a lifeline on him at the time of his fall. Clearly, he failed to ensure his own safety by compromising basic personal safety requirements.

Most of the time, seafarers compromise their own safety while working, failing to realise that the risks they take are not worth it.

It is therefore imperative that everyone working on a ship is aware of the safety procedures and equipment provided for their personal safety. Moreover, they should develop a habit of putting these safety guidelines into practice to help make their working environment safer.