Maritime Injury Blog

Great Lakes seafarer electrocuted, second nearly killed

The Coast Guard has issued a safety alert following the electrocution of a crewmember aboard a Great Lakes vessel, and the near death of a second crewmember who went to assist.

In the March 3 alert, the circumstances surrounding the senseless tragedy were recounted. Neither the names of the victims, vessel nor the date of the event were disclosed. However, enough information is given to reveal that shoddy electrical repairs were responsible for the death of one crewmember and the severe injury of a second.

The circumstances were as follows: While working in a dark and narrow tunnel below the cargo holds of the bulk carrier, a young mariner was shocked to death when his head brushed against a broken light fixture which was missing a bulb, globe and guard. Even worse, a repair had previously been made by using electrical tape to cover open wires and the connection box was not grounded because tie wraps were used instead of metal fasteners.

When a second crewmember came to the victim’s aid, his head also touched the same fixture, resulting in serious injuries.

The safety alert recommends that companies implement programs encouraging reporting of unsafe conditions without the threat of retaliation against employees for reporting such conditions.

Source: Professional Mariner