Posted on: 17 March 2023
The Loss Prevention team at the UK P&I Club has produced its latest ‘Inside Ship’ animated training video, focused on correctly securing fasteners to prevent equipment failures during an overhaul.
The proper installation of fasteners is essential to avoiding preventable engine room incidents. Threaded studs have a variety of critical uses on board, including to secure engine fuel injectors, pumps and monitoring instruments in place. If these studs are incorrectly fastened, they can stretch beyond their elastic limit and shear. This can lead to engine room fires, potentially immobilising the vessel, causing significant damage and presenting a danger to crew.
The Club’s on board risk assessments have revealed most fastener-related failures can be traced back to human error. Use of incorrect fasteners, overtightening, poorly calibrated tools or only tightening fasteners by hand after an overhaul have resulted in preventable incidents.
The video is the latest in the ‘Inside Ship’ series by the UK P&I Club promoting risk awareness and management on-board. The videos are based on risk assessors’ real world experience carrying out risk assessments on board Member vessels.
Stuart Edmonston, Loss Prevention Director at UK P&I Club, said: “The Inside Ship videos are part of the Club’s in-house safety assessment programme, focused on threats that we know from experience cause claims. Engine room fires show a pattern of repeating events, with our work on Incident Prevention showing that an appalling number of these fires result in life-changing injuries, loss of life and significant P&I claims. The fundamental causes are ineffectual leadership such as poor mind-sets, attitudes and associated behaviours, and a lack of focus on wellbeing and care. Our assessments clearly demonstrate how major hazards could occur on the vessel and provide suggested safeguards to prevent them. The need for correct practice when tightening fasteners is critical in preventing fires within the engine room.”
The UK P&I Club operates a full-time, worldwide Loss Prevention team, servicing its Members and wider maritime industry through proactive and inclusive loss prevention support. The team provides technical and operational advice as well as participating in crew seminars and training days.
View the video here: Inside Ship – Fasteners
