The rotating tail shaft poses a lethal entrapment or snagging hazard, even if wire guards are present. Better planning would have eliminated this hazard by ensuring that maintenance was only carried out when the shaft was stopped, i.e., in port. However, for commercial reasons, there is a move across the industry to conduct as much maintenance at sea as possible to reduce time spent alongside. Engineers are already fully tasked with other roles when in port.
Was this incident the unintended consequence of a management decision?
CHIRP applauds the crewmember who alerted others to the danger and stopped the work from progressing until a safety briefing was held. We encourage all companies to empower their crews with similar ‘Stop Work’ authority when safety is in doubt.
