NEAR MISS BULLETIN

No. 08/16 OCT DEC 2016

Your safety means the world to us!
A total of 8546 near misses, hazards occurrences & SafeR+ observations were reported by
fleet vessels in 4th Quarter of 2016. We have appended, the most common / relevant /or sig-
nificant near misses which can be used as a learning tool to avoid accidents /incidents on
board .

Top 5 Categories of Near Misses

reported in 4th Quarter 2016
Injury 3014
Machinery1023
Fire950
Health & Hygiene 851
Environment624
 SIGNFICANT NEAR MISSES
Injury
Ship sta was working alo without Safety Harness .
Crew member was found climbing the staircase
without three point contact , as he was carrying buck-
et in both his hands. He was immediately stopped and
asked to follow three point contact procedures.
During hold cleaning opera ons, while picking up a
drum of 20 Liters crew member was found standing
beneath the liing load.
Crew member was found opera ng power tool with-
out safety Guards.
While liing cylinder head of AE with chain block, one
crew member placed his ngers across the wire sling.
In rough weather one of the crew member found
going on deck without informing duty ocer.

Analysis SIGNIFICANT NEAR MISSES

Inappropriate Behaviuor Machinery
Failure to use PPE properly While stopping Fresh Water Generator, correct pro-
Failure to follow code of safe working prac c- cedure was not followed resul ng in M/E J.C.W tem-
es perature rising rapidly. Timely correc ve ac on avert-
ed M/E Slowdown
While taking rou ne rounds in E/R it was found that
Deck seal pump casing was cracked and water was
spraying into nearby areas. The pump was immedi-
ately changed over and isolated.
While opera ng turning gear of main engine, found
that ywheel cover was very near to its ywheel bolts
due to loose bracket which suppor ng the cover.
These may have caused serious damage to main en-
gine and other machinery .
Air educ ng valve from main air compressor in
pump room was opened without informing engine
room, which lead to low control air pressure alarm ,
thus hampering the safety of main engine.

Analysis
Defec ve Equipment, Machinery or tool
Lack of Knowledge/Skill
Failure or Follow repair/maintenance Instruc on
Incorrect use of Equipment or Machinery
 SIGNIFICANT NEAR MISSES

Fire
Oily rags le near opera onal Incinerator tray , may lead
to re in E/R
A portable cu8ng machine was found to have a cut on
the cable wire exposing the conductor.
During cabin inspec ons found, One of the Oiler cabin,
bed light bulb covered with transparent colored plas c
cover (For making light dim) causing re hazard.
During master's round found the Power supply plug was
in use in one of the Ocer's cabin in ocer's absence &
plug condi on was not in good shape as it was appeared
to be overloaded and melted at pin area
Found pair of socks near the hea ng coil in the crew
laundry dryer room.
Analysis
Electrical appliance not unplugged
Poor housekeeping leading to re hazards
Electrical appliance found plugged to jury rigged sock-
ets
Smoking in no smoking zone during cargo opera on
 SIGNIFICANT NEAR MISSES
Health & Hygiene
Dirty co@on rags and plas c bo@le found on deck.
During Fire rounds it was observed that food items
were kept open in mess room aer consump on.
Tally oce toilet found in dirty condi on, bosun in-
formed to clean and square up the area.
During rou ne rounds on deck, garbage drum was
found uncovered, the cover was not placed back, the
rain water could enter the garbage drum and could
cause infesta on.
During rou ne rounds of Laundry room, found Civil
clothes washing machine drain pipe leaking.

Analysis
Inadequate Procedures
Improper Garbage segrega on
Poor House-Keeping

Identify the dangerous conditions

* Clue: (Accident, Near miss, Unsafe condition, Unsafe act, ) winners will be announced in next bulletin

* Unsafe condions *_____________ * Near Miss * ____________

HURDLES IN REPORTING OF NEAR MISSES

The value of repor ng near misses must not be underes mated - they act as essen al indicators for where more
serious injuries are likely to take place.
The reporting of near misses, unsafe acts and unsafe conditions saves lives and reduces injuries!
Once a hazard is known, steps can be taken to remove the hazard or implement measures to reduce the risk posed
by it. Established accident ra o theories and studies, such as those of Bird and Heinrich, have demonstrated that
there are consistent rela onships between the number of near misses, minor incidents and more severe injuries
that occur on sites the only difference is a matter of luck!
Hurdles..
Afraid of punishment - Most oen, ship sta avoids repor ng a near miss out of fear of blame or repercussion. Its
very important to create a workplace culture that priori zes safety. Whenever possible, encourage sta to report
unsafe work condi ons. Remind them that doing so protects both them and their co-workers.
They want to maintain their reputaon- People dont like to admit mistakes, especially if that mistake is broadcast
to an en re company. Ship sta may fear that owning up to a near miss will lead co-workers to see them as weak
or accident-prone. To combat this, its important for on board senior management to appreciate and acknowledge
those who do report near misses. Doing so can help improve a business safety culture, leading workers to not feel
as worried about damaging their reputa on within the company.
They cant idenfy a near miss. There are some instances where ship sta may not even understand a near miss
took place. When that happens, the incident goes unreported and the issue persists, crea ng an unsafe work envi-
ronment. Educa on is key to recognizing near misses. Try building examples of near misses into your training pro-
grams or ci ng scenarios during informal safety mee ngs.
They arent movated to report a near miss. In some instances, ship sta may not see the benet of repor ng a
near miss, especially if theres nothing tangible in it for them .

Near-miss repor ng is a cri cal component of any well-organized and eec ve safety pro-
gram. Over me, near-miss programs have been shown to save millions of dollars in medi-
cal care and equipment replacement costs. More importantly, they save lives.

Please discuss content of this bulletin in next safety meeting and ensure that lessons learnt from
above are understood and learning from near misses are strictly complied with.

Fleet Management Limited

11/F Dah Sing Financial Centre, 108 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong.
Tel: +852 2298-8300, Fax: +852 2528-1550,
E-mail: eet-hk-qualsafe@eetship.com, Website: www.eetship.com