Lifejacket could have saved scallop man
A SCALLOP fisherman could still be alive had he worn a lifejacket and if the crew of the fishing vessel King Challenger (BA87) followed safe working practices, a report from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has found.
Thirty-four year old Scott Rennie, from Newton Stewart in Dumfries and Galloway, drowned when he fell overboard from the tipping door of the scallop dredger on 23 June last year.
Rennie had been attempting to unhook a damaged dredge bag from the end of the tipping door when the accident happened 12 nautical miles southwest of Scalloway.
Within four minutes of entering the 10.5 degrees water, the fisherman became unresponsive and was unable to hold on to a ‘man overboard harness’ that had been thrown to him.
A second crew member then donned a lifejacket and jumped into the sea. With his help the casualty was able to be hoisted back on board the vessel.
However, “although the casualty had been in the water for less than 10 minutes, he showed no signs of life and could not be resuscitated despite the crew’s actions and a very quick evacuation to hospital”, the report said.
The MAIB found that a risk assessment should have recognised that the practice of walking on the tipping doors was unsafe, and alternative working practices should have been identified by the skipper and the vessel’s owner.
The agency also said that realistic man overboard drills needed to be carried out to avoid an unplanned response to emergencies that could result in additional casualties.
They said: “Cold water shock will be the first reaction to falling into water below 15 degrees. Death can sometimes occur within the first 30 seconds. Cold incapacitation follows immediately and within the next three or four minutes progressive loss of movement in the limbs occur.
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“Rescuing an incapacitated or unconscious crew member from the sea is extremely difficult. Regular man overboard drills using a representative dummy will help prepare skippers and crew for dealing with such an emergency.
“Any rescuer who enters the water must always wear a survival suit and be attached to the vessel at all times with a lifeline.”
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