Olivia Jean report and safety flyer published

Our accident investigation report into the fatal crush injuries sustained by a crew member on the deck of scallop dredger Olivia Jean, approximately 39 miles north-east of Aberdeen on 28 June 2019, is now published.

Statement from the Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents:

Sadly, this was not the first serious accident to crew working on Olivia’s Jean’s deck that the MAIB has investigated.

The circumstances and many of the factors that contributed to this death are all too familiar. In particular, an ineffective safety management culture driven from the very top of the organisation, had resulted in hazardous practices taking place on board.

The working deck of a fishing vessel can be an extremely hazardous place, where good levels of communication, supervision, and control are essential. The importance of the implementation of a robust safety management system by fishing vessel owners, managers and skippers cannot be underestimated.

A safety flyer to the fishing industry summarising the accident and detailing the safety lessons learned, has also been produced.