When a 110-kg steel plate becomes a deadly hazard.
During a voyage in heavy seas, a routine task involving steel plates resulted in a severe crushing accident, leaving a crew member with serious injuries.
The investigation highlighted familiar red flags:
- risk assessments not fit for purpose
- toolbox talks treated as box-ticking exercises
- unsafe vertical stowage
- reliance on manual strength instead of proper equipment
Steel plates are deceptively heavy and highly unstable when stowed upright.
Best practice is clear: horizontal stowage, or purpose-built racks allowing the safe removal of individual plates.
A rope on a handrail is not a safety control.
It is an accident waiting to happen.
📄 Source: Britannia P&I Club – Loss Prevention
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Safety is not paperwork. It is behaviour, supervision, and design.
👉 How is heavy steel stored on your vessels today?
Have you ever changed a procedure after a near miss?
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