There’s something in my eye!
What happened?
After shift, a member of the crew took a shower and felt that there was something in his eye. The next day he asked for help to remove it, but without success. He had to leave the vessel at the next port to have the debris removed.
What went wrong?
During the early part of the previous shift, this person had worked on deck wearing proper PPE and later in the shift, was working on the bridge. During the day, the debris had settled in his hair and washed into his eyes during the shower.
What lessons were learned?
There was a lack of awareness of this mechanism of transmission of debris into the eyes.
Be aware that debris can be still present after removal of all PPE, and of the risk of debris being transferred into the eyes from PPE or from the hair at a later time or when showering.
Members may wish to refer to the following incidents:
Safety Event
Published: 27 July 2018
Download: 
IMCA SF 16/18
IMCA Safety Flashes
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