Serious finger injury in power operated watertight sliding door
- Safety Flash
- Published on 13 July 2023
- Generated on 8 December 2025
- IMCA SF 17/23
- 2 minute read
A crew person suffered a very serious finger injury in a watertight sliding door.
What happened?
The incident occurred when engine crew were heading to a storage area for an inventory check. As they passed through a power operated watertight sliding door, a team member pushed the “open” button, and at the same time the vessel rolled with the swell.
The injured person lost balance and reached out to grab for support. He caught the sliding door while opening and trapped his middle right finger between the door and the bulkhead resulting in a serious injury.
Our Member classified the injury as a Restricted Workday case (RWC).
There is a graphic image of the injured finger here for reference purposes (not for the squeamish).
What went wrong?
- Improper communication of hazards in the working area.
- Lack of a hazard zone to limit people in the “line of fire” area.
What was the cause?
- Our member noted that the injured person was in an improper position for the task he was conducting, at a time of adverse sea conditions.
- Perhaps because it was “only a door” the crew did not take seriously enough, the dangers of being too close to powered machinery in motion.
- There was a lack of:
- Instruction and understanding of how to behave near powered watertight doors.
- Identification of the risk involved in being near the door whilst it was in motion.
- Engineered barriers to prevent the incident from having happened at all.
- Instruction and understanding of how to behave near powered watertight doors.
Actions
- Powered watertight doors are potentially very hazardous, and can be lethal if not treated properly. Keep a strong focus on watertight door safety.
- Keep away from powered watertight doors whilst they are in motion: our member marked up and enforced a “no-go zone during door operation” policy for watertight sliding doors.
- Stop and think:
- Where else might there be similar entrapment/crush hazards?
- What might you have done personally, to avoid this from happening to you?
- Is a powered sliding door any different from any other moving machine part that which would be barriered off and guarded?
- Where else might there be similar entrapment/crush hazards?
Related safety flashes
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IMCA SF 09/23
4 April 2023
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IMCA SF 05/23
16 February 2023
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IMCA SF
15 January 2016
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IMCA SF 05/01
1 April 2001
-
IMCA SF 01/01
1 January 2001
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