Dicing with Death: A Yacht Worker's Close Call with Asphyxiation and Lessons in Maritime Safety

Chronicling a day that almost ended in disaster, this is the tale of a crew member working on a superyacht refit. Responsibilities included cleaning and painting the engine room bilges, a task that brought him face to face with a potentially life-threatening situation. Deep inside the six-foot-deep main bilge sump, oblivious to the surrounding crew, he used acetone to degrease the surfaces. Unaware that acetone expands to over 300% its initial volume and is denser than air, the man unwittingly jeopardized his survival as the oxygen around him got rapidly displaced.

The incident has drawn attention to the fact that enclosed bilges present significant health and safety risks, as laid out in the CoSWP Section 15, MGN 659, and MSC A.1050(27). It’s crucial for vessels to precisely identify and record all confined spaces onboard, ensuring this data reflects in the Safety Management System and risk assessments. The accident further emphasizes that VOC masks may provide a false sense of security and are not suited for certain hazards. They are protective against certain substances but can’t supply oxygen or detect its depletion.

The story underscores the dangers of common solvents, which can rapidly deplete oxygen in confined or poorly ventilated spaces due to their higher vapour density. Activities like bilge cleaning may pose severe risks if performed without proper ventilation, atmospheric monitoring, and safety precautions – a lesson that the protagonist took away, and should be kept in mind by everyone in the maritime industry.