# Everyday Dangers



## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

We are mainly aware of the dangers of working on deck or in the engineroom or even the galley in bad weather, but seldom hear of the hidden dangers of the radio department where death and injury can lurk unseen until it hits you.

Any tales of this sort of thing?

Probably one of the most annoying, unnecessary and dangerous things that has occurred to me several times over the years concerned radar servicing. Radar running with front cover open, reaching inside with AVO probe to take an essential reading when some joker (probably not with any malicious intent), creeps up behind and claps hands and shrieks "bang!" I have never received an electric shock because of this, but on a couple of occasions, I have jumped to such an extent that I shorted something out and caused even more damage to the equipment.

Bob


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## Gareth Jones (Jul 13, 2007)

I remember hearing of two incidents while I was in college - one of an R/O who managed to electrocute himself while working on an oceanspan - for some reason he was standing on the desk stripped to the waist (sweaty in the tropics) but no-one was really sure how he managed it.

Another was of an R/O who died from Carbon tet poisoning - gone to bed pizzed while rags soaked in carbon tet were left in his waste paper bin.

But these were rumours which I can't substantiate.


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## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

Another very alarming incident was at the end of a radio survey. Everything had gone off OK and the final task was to check the batteries that were in a box on top of the monkey island. The surveyor and I removed the fibreglass lid and the surveyor jabbed that fork/ammeter thing across the terminalsof one cell and there was a terrific explosion. The surveyor got the whole lot in the face and I, standing to one side was sprayed with acid. We both made a mad dash down where I shoved him in my bathroom and left him to it. Next nearest water supply was in captain's bathroom one deck down. I dashed in past startled captain shouting that the batteries had exploded and sluiced myself down. Fortunately, surveyor was very lucky as a bit of broken battery cut his cheek rather than going in his eye. He rushed off to port doctor and suffered no lasting effects, but it was quite alarming. Every cell in the 24 volt bank had its top blown off! 
Bob


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## Derek Roger (Feb 19, 2005)

We did not have an accident on the m v Mahout but may have had given what happened .
The 2nd RO was sent down to the engine room to get some distilled water for the batteries while were were at sea . I took his bottle and after checking the salinity reading from the evaporator dishcharge ( down around 2 or 3 ppm ) proceeded to fill his bottle from the sample cock on the distilled water pump discharge.

A couple of weeks later while in port with the low pressure evap shut down the same chap took it upon himself to get some more distilled water . He filled his bottle from the same sample cock ( unknown to the engineers ) 

He then proceeded to top up the batteries ; the result was a failure of the complete bank  .

The problem being when the Evap ( which works on a vacuum of about 26 inches ) when shut down tends to fill with raw sea water including the collection tray for the distillate . He had filled his bottles with salt water .

No harm done except for the 24v batteries which died .

The good news was that we were delayed for a couple of days in New Orleans while new batteries were found and installed . Mates and engineers had a good run shore ; not so Sparks who had to stay on board until all was back to normal .

Happy Days Derek


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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

Fortunately I never had any accidents. I do however have memories of the horrors caused by the radar scanners on my first ship. The Shell tanker Opalia/GLQA - we had one of the first Hermes and Argus duo. The scanners were sited on the mast on the top of the Monkey island. When we arrived at Suez for a south bound transit my boss - my first trip - decided we could do some maintenance as it would be nice and steady etc. I got halfway up the top part of the mast but just froze. Looking down to the main deck and to the canal seemed just so far down. Until then I had no idea that heights were something I was frightened of. Never been that high before I suppose.
I cannot imagine what I would have done if we were at sea in any kind of weather and rolling. As luck would have it the pair did give trouble but it never involved the scanners. Since then I have always had a fear of heights, cannot abide skyscraper hotels etc. Max floor height for me is about 10 then the jitters start. I could never go up the CN tower or similar. Oddly I don't mind flying and looking down. Nothing so strange as folk. 

Hawkey01


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## Tony Selman (Mar 8, 2006)

Two incidents come to mind in my case. On my second trip as a 2R/O on Matra in Chalna in 1965 I was working on the radar under the supervision of CR/O Keith Forster. It was stinking hot and I was just in shorts with my legs spread apart either side of the console. I had my head inside the console and some sweat dripped down and must have rolled down the screwdriver blade and dropped into the HT circuitry and created a short back to the screwdriver and my arm. According to Keith I shot backwards into the bulkhead and when I came round I was in my cabin and had a track across my right hand where you could see down to the bone. Funnily enough since then I have had a very high resistance to mains belts.

My second is probably much more common for R/O's and involves changing the scanner motor in bad weather. In this case it was my first trip on my own on the dreaded tanker Lucigen. We were a day or so out of Avonmouth homeward bound in a force 8 in the Bay. The radar stopped working and I very reluctantly came to the conclusion it was the scanner motor. This meant going up the signal mast to change the motor in the dark, wind and rain. The 2nd mate Stan Paterson was to be torch holder and assistant and I treble checked I had everything I needed as I would not be popular if he had to come back down. We went up and Stan lashed us both to the mast whilst Captain John Murray stood on the monkey island and shone the Aldis lamp on the scanner area. We got the job done but I was distinctly unhappy up there as I have never been overly happy with heights and we were certainly moving round. Had Stan not lashed us to the mast I think one or both of us would have gone to a watery grave. Not a fun experience.


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## 5TT (May 3, 2008)

I get the jitters even now thinking back to having to climb masts etc. The gantry cranes at Zeebrugge didn't clear the forward duplex receiving whip on one class of ship I was on, and they either couldn't or wouldn't raise the crane to clear it, insisting on me lowering the antenna. It was a long way up and there was no platform, one had to stand on a rung near the top and lean/stretch around the side of the mast, disconnect it, then loosen the upper and lower clamps so you could slide it down, without of course letting it fall all the way through, then tighten it up in the lowered position. I never got a safety harness with a clasp, having to tie a one handed knot and I was never much of a boy scout, and the time I'll never forget is when the ladder was caked with ice, before I even got to the top my hands were so numb from the cold I couldn't be sure I was holding on tight enough to stay up there, it was terrifying. 
On that occasion I left it until we were in warmer climes before I put it back up again ..

So yes, there was plenty of scope to wind up seriously injured or worse..

= Adrian +


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

It was not getting a shock that was such as problem, as what your hand hit on the way out and how much collateral damge occurred !!

I agree radar scanners were top of the list. Because of sever spoking on a KH radar on a Mobil Tanker, the lecky agreed that he could clean up the commutator if I got it down. The Mate said 'the secunny will will help you' He promptly took one look and decided this was not for him. So minus any thought for H & S up I went and did the job. It was a beautifully flat calm warm day though. A crash helmet would have been handy when adjusting the heading marker also !

David
+
The main scanner is even out of sight in this view !!


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## valencia59 (Feb 23, 2008)

It was nothing quite as technical as radar scanners or batteries that got me ! One ship I sailed on had a set of wooden drawers on one bulkhead and the bottom drawer had been used to store transformers and psu bits, over time the weight therein became quite impressive. 
During a very rough sea the ship was rolling like mad and as I walked past the drawers, (bare feet), the ship rolled, the drawer shot out and landed on my toes! The pain was incredible but amused the 2nd mate no end ! I never forgot to lock the drawers again !

Nic


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## Binnacle (Jul 22, 2005)

Heard about a very nasty accident which happened to the R/O on FRV Scotia. Apparently he was in a store room reaching up to take down some item from a higher shelf, and stood upon a crate to gain height. Unfortunately the wooden slats on the crate lid gave way under his weight and his foot went through and into a radar crt which shattered under the impact. He received severe phosphorus burns which ended his sea career. Must have been a horrific experience. What his injuries were, I shudder to think.


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## donald h (Aug 24, 2005)

In the RN, many years ago when Health & Safety was just beginning to rear it`s ugly (but sometimes necessary) head, one of the warning posters in vivid colour for us trainee electricians was of a lad who`s whole one side of his body was purple and black and scarred.
What had caused his mishap was (as we all were liable to do at one time or another) was get caught short in the dockyard returning back to the ship after a night out on the town. He had a pee in a darkened alley. Unfortunately for him, a 440 volt shore supply cable (to the ship) had damaged insulation covering it and he got a full 440 volt shock via a rather tender part of his anatomy.
I believe the warning poster had the desired effect!!


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