Safety issues in trawler death
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has recommended fishing company Sanford Ltd introduce more safety training and has warned against the use of performance-impairing substances after an investigation into the death of a trawler freezerman.
Steffan Antony Stewart, 26, of New Plymouth, who died after becoming trapped in a piece of machinery aboard the Timaru-based deep-sea factory trawler San Granit, had a level of methamphetamine in his system which meant it was likely consumed at sea, the review found.
‘‘Due to the varying effects this substance has on an individual, it was not possible to determine whether it contributed to the accident,’’ it says.
‘‘It is not acceptable under any circumstances for workers to be affected by performance-impairing substances, regardless of what roles they are performing.’’
The commission was unable to determine why Stewart entered the guarded area of the accumulator, in which he became trapped, but it may have been to clear a jammed box of fish.
According to the report, the commission identified two safety issues.
‘‘The risks associated with operating the accumulator were not fully understood and the safety controls relied heavily on the machine operator following generic instructions and procedures,’’ it says.
‘‘The training in place for the crew around the configuration of the emergency stops likely resulted in confusion on which emergency stops serviced which system.’’
Owner and operator, Sanford Ltd, has since conducted a full safety assessment of the automatic plate freezer area and implemented engineering controls to mitigate a person’s risk of becoming trapped within the accumulator.
The commission says while this addresses the first concern, crew members still may have not received appropriate training in identifying which emergency stop to use for which system.
‘‘Therefore, the commission has made a new recommendation that Sanford implement training for the crew on the configuration of the emergency stops to avoid confusion on which emergency stop services which system,’’ it says in the report.
‘‘This will reduce the likelihood of crew accessing running machinery after pressing an incorrect emergency stop.’’
Stewart was discovered by a deckhand about 3.50am on November 14, 2018.
The deckhand immediately raised the alarm but after Stewart was removed from the accumulator the ship’s medic found no signs of life.
The vessel, which had been trawling 102 kilometres east of Banks Peninsula, immediately returned to Timaru’s port, arriving about 4pm that day.
Sanford Ltd general manager corporate communications Fiona MacMillan said the loss of Stewart was ‘‘gut-wrenching’’ for the crew who were with him on the San Granit.
‘‘We have spoken many times since then to his mum and we are acutely aware of how deeply she and all his family continue to grieve for him.’’’
MacMillan said the company welcomed the commission’s investigation ‘‘as we are always open to learning’’.
‘‘The report recognises that we had already put our systems on the San Granit through extensive testing before she went into operation.
‘‘Since the loss of Steffan, we have taken further expert advice and have made significant investments to further enhance our systems and training and to introduce a new standard, which we understand to be well above that currently in place in a maritime setting.
‘‘Safety to us is a process of continuous improvement. The wellbeing of our people is incredibly important to us and that is why safety is at the heart of everything we do.’’