Safety Flash
Potential for diver injury operating a hand-held torque wrench
Potential for diver injury operating a hand-held torque wrench
- IMCA
- Safety Flash
- IMCA SF 09/20
- DivingLine of FireMachinery and Equipment
- Line of fire
- Diving operations
- Hand toolsValve
- Operating and work proceduresSafety communicationStop-work authority
- Subsea
Summary
A diver’s use of a hand-held torque wrench on a subsea valve override was stopped by a technician. Sudden spring unwinding could have rotated the wrench into the diver. Ambiguous drawing warnings, incomplete procedures and unavailable installation instructions contributed to an unsafe assumption about tool suitability.
Classifications: Line of fire; struck-by hazards.
Classifications: Diving operations; diving; commercial diving.
Classifications: Hand tools; hand-held tools; handheld tools.
Classifications: Valve; valves.
Classifications: Operating and work procedures.
Classifications: Safety communication; toolbox talk; toolbox talks.
Classifications: Stop-work authority; stop work; stop-work intervention.
Classifications: Subsea; underwater worksite.
Summary
A diver was involved in a near miss that could have resulted in serious injury when he was asked to function an ROV valve override on a subsea isolation valve with a hand-held torque wrench.
IMCA SF 09/20. Themes: diving, line of fire, machinery and equipment.