INVESTIGATION

Entrapment in Winch Leads to Severed Fingers
Narrative
CASE 21
An experienced skipper on a stern trawler
handed over the winch controls to a deckhand
and instructed him to haul the gear. The
skipper was then returning to the wheelhouse
when he put his hand on the winch to steady
himself as the vessel rolled. The deckhand was
looking aft towards the gear and hauled in on
the winch, pulling the skipper’s hand around
and trapping it between the drum and the
winch housing.
The crew transmitted a “Mayday” message
to the coastguard, who tasked a lifeboat
and rescue helicopter to attend. The skipper
was airlifted from the lifeboat and flown to
hospital, where it was found that his hand
had suffered multiple fractures and severe
loss of tissue. After lengthy surgery three of
his fingers were reattached, but the skipper’s
recovery required numerous skin transplants
over many months (Figure 1).
When he was well enough to return to the
vessel and review the circumstances of the
accident, the skipper implemented several
measures to prevent any similar entrapment
accidents:
• The skipper realised that the area in which
the accident occurred was unnecessarily
restricted due to the wheelhouse door
opening towards the winch. He changed
the door around so that it opened away
from the winch, allowing clear access to the
wheelhouse from aft of the winch (Figure
2).
• The side cheeks of the winch were exposed
and there were no guards to prevent
entrapment. The skipper therefore fitted
metal plates to the winch housing (Figure
3) to prevent anyone becoming trapped in
the future.
Figure 1
MAIB Safety Digest 1/2017
47