‘Regrettable’ that safety equipment played part in deckhand’s death – report

It is “extremely regrettable” that a piece of safety equipment played a part in a deckhand being pulled overboard to his death, a marine accident investigator has said.

Richard Fiati, a 40-year-old Ghanaian national, was shooting creels on the fishing vessel Kingfisher when the incident happened off Wick in the Highlands on July 12 last year.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) found he had inadvertently passed a toggle on the creel rope through a loop on his personal flotation device (PFD) when connecting the creel to the rope.

The other crew members on deck heard a scream and saw him being dragged rapidly across shooting table and over the vessel’s side.

Once in the water Mr Fiati’s PFD automatically inflated and he initially surfaced with hands aloft and waving, leading the crew to believe that he was clear of the backrope and floating freely.

They cut the backrope and manoeuvred the vessel to rescue the man, but found he was still attached to the gear and by then had been pulled underwater by the fleet of creels.

He was recovered onboard within seven minutes but despite the efforts of the vessel’s crew, RNLI lifeboat crew and paramedics from an HM Coastguard rescue helicopter, he could not be revived and was pronounced dead.

The MAIB report into the incident said: “The deckhand was dragged overboard and drowned when he inadvertently connected his PFD’s becket to a leg rope of a creel as it was being shot away.

“The deckhand’s inflated PFD was unable to overcome the weight of the deployed fishing gear and he was held underwater.”

It said the PFD’s becket – a loop of webbing on the front of the PFD – had become a “known snagging hazard” prior to the incident, which the deckhand “may not have recognised”

Some of the crew had even cut the beckets off their PFDs after becoming aware of the danger, but according to the report they had “not thought to highlight this hazard”.

The report went on: “Although approved, the PFD became unsuitable for its intended purpose while in service on Kingfisher due to the risk of snagging.”

It said a safety tether instead of a PFD in the area Mr Fiati had been working could have reduced the risk of being carried overboard.

The report also found the Kingfisher’s onboard risk assessments did not “effectively mitigate” the risk of entanglement while shooting creels, and that assessments were not reviewed and updated.

Mandatory training on the six-person vessel was also found to be incomplete, which the report said “limited the crew’s ability to work safely within an effective risk management system”.

The MAIB issued a safety bulletin following the incident recommending that owners and crew of creel fishing boats ensure the “hazards of shooting and recovering creels are fully mitigated” and that working deck PFDs are fit for purpose.

A safety flyer to the fishing industry was also released alongside the report.

Chief inspector of marine accidents Andrew Moll said: “There has been a long and largely successful campaign to encourage the wearing of PFDs at sea.

“It is therefore extremely regrettable that a deckhand’s PFD played a part in this tragic accident.

“Industry guidance encourages fishing vessel owners/operators to identify the most suitable means of mitigating the risks from fishing operations.

“It is important to recognise that PFDs promote survival when in the water, but they do not prevent crew from falling or being pulled overboard by the fishing gear.

“Depending on the activity being undertaken, personal protective equipment such as safety harnesses and tethers may be needed to prevent someone going overboard.”