Grit hose parting: Near-miss incident

A member reports that while a diver was working on a grit-blasting operation, the grit hose parted from the coupling connection on deck. No one was injured and nothing was damaged.

The LP compressor was shut down immediately and a safety meeting was conducted onboard to discuss the reasons for the parting and the precautions necessary to prevent reoccurrence.

The company has set out the following checks to be made before use of the equipment:

• Check the condition of the hose for any physical damage;
• Check all hose-line clamps (including gun end and compressor end) for tightness, to ensure no inadvertent parting of the hose while in use;
• All hose connections are to be secured with safety rope to prevent a whiplash effect if parted;
• Insurance wire is to be fixed on all quick-release ‘Chicago’ couplings to prevent inadvertent parting of couplings while in use;
• All hose lines are to be anchored/secured with rope to fixed structures, again to prevent a whiplash effect if parted;
• One person is to be available to man the compressor and blast-pot at all times while work is in progress.