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Drill bit snapped: Finger injury sustained - DEV imca
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Drill bit snapped: Finger injury sustained

What happened?

A crewman was in the process of using an electric drill to fix a broom head to a broom stick. The broom stick was held in the vice. The crewman was holding the drill with his right hand, and holding the broom head with his left. The drill bit snapped off which caused the drill to slip and as a result it penetrated the crewman’s safety gloves and came in contact with the nail of his left thumb. This slightly dislodged the nail from the thumb. The injury required first aid treatment only.

What were the causes of the incident?

The root causes identified by our member were misperception of risk and improper handling of tools. Appropriate precautions were not taken in proper work techniques. Even though the vice was used, he still held the job with one hand. This could have resulted in a more serious injury.

What lessons were learnt? And what were the actions?

  • Briefing and training sessions to be conducted for vessel crew regarding safe working practices with hand tools;
  • Greater involvement of vessel crew in identifying hazards and risks for each part of their job.

IMCA has published a short video and pocket card on hand safety:

Members may also wish to refer to the following incident:

Safety Event

Published: 2 June 2017
Download: IMCA SF 13/17

Relevant life-saving rules:
IMCA Safety Flashes
Submit a Report

IMCA Safety Flashes summarise key safety matters and incidents, allowing lessons to be more easily learnt for the benefit of all. The effectiveness of the IMCA Safety Flash system depends on Members sharing information and so avoiding repeat incidents. Please consider adding safetyreports@imca-int.com to your internal distribution list for safety alerts or manually submitting information on incidents you consider may be relevant. All information is anonymised or sanitised, as appropriate.

IMCA’s store terms and conditions (https://www.imca-int.com/legal-notices/terms/) apply to all downloads from IMCA’s website, including this document.

IMCA makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained in the documents it publishes, but IMCA shall not be liable for any guidance and/or recommendation and/or statement herein contained. The information contained in this document does not fulfil or replace any individual’s or Member's legal, regulatory or other duties or obligations in respect of their operations. Individuals and Members remain solely responsible for the safe, lawful and proper conduct of their operations.