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The death of a Northumberland man who was killed while working in a diving support vessel has been blamed on flagrant safety violations. The man, 44 year old rigger David Stephenson, was killed three miles south of Aberdeen in April of last year.
Stephenson was working underneath four tons of suspended equipment that lowered unexpectedly on him, crushing him to death. He was airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he was pronounced dead. An investigation into the cause of his death was launched by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB).
MAIB’s findings were released recently, and the results are shocking. According to investigators, a faulty pilot valve in a switching system failed, causing a winch to release the load onto Stephenson. MAIB added that the most basic safety principles had not been followed. For example, the load should have been supported by other means before workers were allowed underneath it.
Despite having a number of management procedures and safety tools in place, the operators Technip UK either did not apply them or they were applied ineffectively. In addition, MAIB cited confused lines of responsibility between staff on the ship and on the shore. All of this contributed to an accident that took the life of a maritime worker.
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