The TSB also noted a lack of preparedness on the side of masters and crew members of the pilot boat to ensure safety.
While masters and crew members were required to, and often did, conduct person-overboard drills, these drills were exercised in the calm waters of St. John’s Harbour and with a deckhand available to help.
“As a result, the drills did not reveal that a single person could not manoeuvre the vessel and rescue an unconscious person from the water using the available recovery equipment. This impacted the level of emergency preparedness and made it practically impossible for the master alone to retrieve the deckhand from the water,” said TSB.
The TSB investigation also revealed that if a company’s safety management system does not facilitate the flow of safety information from the operational level to management, there is a risk of vessels operating with hazards that are known but without adequate defences, said the government agency.
