London Club Warns on Heavy Weather Personal Injuries

THE London P&I Club reports that recent personal injury cases which it has handled have included accidents in which the ship’s motion in heavy weather has been a causative factor.

In the latest issue of its StopLoss Bulletin, the Club notes, “The types of incidents reported have included injuries to crew members falling while working aloft, a hand injury when a heavy auxiliary engine part unexpectedly shifted while being removed for maintenance, and a chest injury suffered when a power tool slipped as a ship rolled.

“Where a risk assessment had been carried out in respect of the accidents involving deck crew, the responsible officer had been fully aware of the prevailing conditions but had not made sufficient allowance for the ship’s motion.

“Interestingly, in the cases where the task was being performed in the engine room, the entry on the risk assessment form for ‘Weather and Sea Hazard’ was in each case “not applicable”.”

The Club concludes, “While it is the case that dealing with rolling, for example, is less of an issue for someone on the bottom plates in the engine room than it is for a crew member on the monkey island, these recent cases are reminders that, when a ship rolls, the engine room moves too.”

• The London P&I Club, managed by A Bilbrough & Co, is one of the leading clubs in the International Group of P&I Clubs. It pursues a policy of selective, quality expansion and strategic investment to maintain financial strength.