Safety Flash
Near-miss: Diver’s umbilical severed by propeller
Near-miss: Diver’s umbilical severed by propeller
- IMCA
- Safety Flash
- IMCA SF 03/05
- DivingIsolationMarine Operations
- Entanglement
- Diving operationsInspection and maintenance
- Diver umbilicalRotating machinery
- Energy and process isolationJob safety analysisLockout and tagout
- Marine industry
- Subsea
Summary
A diver working on an offshore platform riser surfaced unharmed after a lift boat’s slowly turning propeller drew in and severed the umbilical. The driveshaft securing procedure failed for unknown reasons. Recommendations require a padlocked purpose-built clamp, elevation to expose the propeller and rudder, and joint vessel–dive crew job hazard analysis.
Classifications: Entanglement; caught in machinery; drawn into machinery.
Classifications: Diving operations; diving; commercial diving.
Classifications: Inspection and maintenance; asset inspection; equipment maintenance.
Classifications: Diver umbilical; diving umbilical.
Classifications: Rotating machinery; rotating equipment.
Classifications: Energy and process isolation; isolation; energy isolation.
Classifications: Job safety analysis; JSA; job hazard analysis; JHA.
Classifications: Lockout and tagout; LOTO; lockout/tagout.
Classifications: Marine industry; shipping industry; maritime sector.
Classifications: Subsea; underwater worksite.
Summary
Recommendations address securing and exposing lift-boat propellers before diving operations and coordinating vessel and dive risk assessments.
IMCA SF 03/05. Themes: diving, isolation, marine operations.