26 June, 2007

THE MARINE Accident Investigation Branch has advised salmon farmers Mainstream Scotland to supply all their crewmen with 'man overboard notification devices' following the death of one of its employees in Shetland.

Martin Ramsay, 44, from Burravoe, in Yell, died when he fell from the workboat Conquest, in Olna Firth, on 19 March this year.

The Conquest was on its way from a salmon farm to the pier in Voe when the accident happened.

Fellow crew members were unaware Mr Ramsay was missing until they arrived in Voe. His body was discovered in the sea half an hour after he had last been seen onboard.

Mainstream Scotland has now permanently closed one of the two large gaps in the guard rails on the vessel's work deck, and fitted a mechanism to close the other gap when it is not in use, after being so advised by the MAIB.

A preliminary investigation, published by the MAIB on the Internet, said that it was highly likely that Mr Ramsay had fallen overboard where no such guard rails were fitted.

Mainstream Scotland is now also carrying out an assessment of its existing health & safety policies and training, and will produce both site and vessel specific risk assessments.

As part of that assessment, the chief inspector of marine accidents, Stephen Meyer, has told the company to consider supplying all crewmen with a man overboard notification device, "which are now readily available from various suppliers".