Safety Flash
Near miss: Unidentified differential pressure led to diver’s umbilical getting trapped
Near miss: Unidentified differential pressure led to diver’s umbilical getting trapped
- IMCA
- Safety Flash
- IMCA SF 03/17
- DivingIsolationPressure Systems
- EntanglementRisk management
- Diving operations
- Diver umbilical
- Evacuation, escape and rescueLockout and tagoutRisk assessmentSafety communication
- Subsea
Summary
An inshore diving near miss involved an umbilical drawn into a gravity-fed seawater intake and trapped by automated cleaning equipment. A second diver cut the line, enabling both divers to surface uninjured. Findings address undisclosed automation, inadequate isolation and risk review, with corrective actions covering lockout verification and dive-tender repositioning.
Classifications: Entanglement; caught in machinery; drawn into machinery.
Classifications: Risk management; risk evaluation.
Classifications: Diving operations; diving; commercial diving.
Classifications: Diver umbilical; diving umbilical.
Classifications: Evacuation, escape and rescue; EER; escape and rescue.
Classifications: Lockout and tagout; LOTO; lockout/tagout.
Classifications: Risk assessment; hazard assessment.
Classifications: Safety communication; toolbox talk; toolbox talks.
Classifications: Subsea; underwater worksite.
Summary
A member has reported an inshore diving near miss incident in which a diver’s umbilical became trapped and subsequently damaged – no divers were injured.
IMCA SF 03/17. Themes: diving, isolation, pressure systems.