BSafe Case Study 11 — A Two-Person Job, Done By One

A Routine Securing Job

Containers loaded on the third tier, outboard end, needed a long lashing bar — 5.07 metres, over 20kg — hooked into a corner fitting and connected diagonally to a turnbuckle. The AB stepped onto the hatch cover, hooked the bar into the container's corner fitting, then stepped down to the cross-deck to lift the turnbuckle with his free hand — holding the hooked bar with the other.

Designed to Hook In. Also Designed to Slip Out.

The corner fitting's socket is oval, and the lashing bar is designed to slip easily into it, then lock in place once rotated diagonally across and connected to the turnbuckle. Left hanging vertically, not yet rotated into its locked position, it can slip back out just as easily as it went in. That's what happened — the bar slipped from the socket and fell straight down onto the AB's right foot, cutting through his safety footwear. He was carried to the accommodation, and later transferred ashore for surgery; one toe was amputated.

What Transport Malta's Investigation Found

• Risk control measures required by the vessel's own securing risk assessment were not all actually in place at the time.
• The AB's PPE was correct and correctly sized, but its protective effectiveness may have been compromised — either worn imperfectly, or his foot slipped at the critical moment.
• The crew believed this task could be done by one person. Given the lashing bar's design and the securing arrangement, the investigation found at least two people were actually required — one to hold the hooked bar, one to connect the turnbuckle lying flat on the hatch cover.
• A lashing bar left suspended vertically, especially if not hooked correctly, is prone to slipping from an oval corner-fitting socket by design — a known equipment behaviour, not a fluke.
• No record existed of any crew member being formally familiarised with this ship's container securing procedures — though the injured seafarer had been aboard three months and the port was called regularly.