1076 - 01/16 – Personal Injuries involving Cargo Hold Ladders - Worldwide

The Association has recently been involved in a number of cases where crew have been seriously injured falling from cargo hold access ladders.

It would appear that the crew involved in these incidents may have let go of the ladder, having mistaken the top of the Lower Stool for the tank top at the bottom of the hold.

The Association has set out the following recommendations in order to try to reduce the chance of these incidents happening:-

• Introduce warning posters at the entrance to the holds.

• Amend safety notifications to external parties to include a brief to stevedores on the ladder markings for safe access.

• Clearly mark a warning to crew about 4 meters above the tank top.

• Clearly mark the ladder, about 1.8 meters from the tank top

Loss Prevention