Although the crew deserves praise for their diligent safety checks and quick response in reporting the issue to the chief engineerāespecially given the difficult location of the settling tank vent pipeāleaving the job unfinished is unacceptable, given the tank’s importance.
If the pipe were to fall to a lower level in the engine room, it could result in fatal injuries or serious damage to nearby machinery. Additionally, the unsecured vent pipe leaves the settling tank exposed to potential contamination.
Work like this requires a detailed toolbox talk and a proper risk assessment. No task should be considered finished until it has been inspected and signed off by a supervisor, and this should be clearly stated in the toolbox talk.
This report raises several questions: were there enough people available to complete the task properly? Did the team get distracted by another task- if so, what procedures were in place to ensure that it wouldnāt be forgotten? Were supervision levels adequate?
