Near-miss: Dropped object from crane

  • Safety Flash
  • Published on 6 December 2016
  • Generated on 26 April 2025
  • IMCA SF 33/16
  • 1 minute read

A Member has reported a near miss incident in which there was a dropped object from a crane.

What happened?

 A protection bar from the small hook on the main crane came loose and fell from approximately 70m down to deck, leaving a small dent in the deck.

This incident serves as a timely reminder. Members are encouraged to:

  • Continue the reporting of both ‘unsafe conditions’ and ‘positive observations’ regarding dropped objects in order to share our experiences across vessels, sites and locations.
  • Continue with “dropped object searches” focusing on potential dropped objects. In particular, check cranes, masts etc. on board for loose items.
  • Renew emphasis on the inclusion of dropped objects during work planning, toolbox talks, before and after work inspections.

There are many dropped object incidents worthy of review. This is the 27th dropped object incident published by IMCA in the last two years – over 9% of safety incidents reported by IMCA in the last two years have been dropped object incidents. 

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