The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a Marine Safety Alert urging crews to take steps to prevent entanglement accidents involving rotating machinery. The alert follows a recent accident aboard a passenger vessel in which crewmember’s hair became caught in a rotating propeller shaft. The person sustained life-threatening injuries and is disfigured.
The Coast Guard strongly recommends that vessel owners develop safety procedures to ensure that crews avoid potential entanglement accidents involving moving, rotating or reciprocating equipment. Advice includes conducting regular training to emphasize the hazards, installing guards and warning signs, not wearing loose-fitting clothing, tying back long hair and staying away from the machinery if it’s not necessary to be there.
The following is the Coast Guard’s Safety Alert:
