FALLS FROM HATCH COVER EDGES Published: 14 July 2026 Falls from hatch covers have caused many serious crew injuries and fatalities. Accidents commonly occur while working on hatch covers to secure deck cargo or during hatch cover maintenance. A lack of risk perception often leads personnel to take inadequate preventive measures. Sudden loss of footing or tripping can cause an uncontrolled fall from a height of 2–3 metres, which can be fatal. The Risk Deck sockets, D rings, and other raised fittings on hatch covers present significant tripping hazards for personnel. When working on hatch covers, personnel can easily lose spatial awareness and lose their footing at the edge of the hatch cover. Fatal accidents have occurred when crew members have slipped on hatch covers and fallen into cargo holds through partially opened hatch covers. On container ships, the distance between the hatch cover and the ship’s side railing is very small. Personnel have fallen from container hatch covers over the side railing and into the sea. Some Safety Management Systems (SMS) require a permit to work only when personnel work at a height above two metres. This can cause crew members to feel falsely safe and underestimate the danger when working on hatch covers, especially when the height exceeds two metres only slightly. Best Practices Conduct task specific risk assessments before starting work Review SMS procedures to confirm that fall from hatch cover edges is identified as a hazard, and that procedures are in place to prevent such falls Highlight the edges of the hatch cover and any tripping hazards on the hatch cover in yellow Collective fall prevention measures, such as temporary fencing, or fall arrest measures, such as safety nets, will protect groups of personnel working on hatch covers For individual protection, a fall restraint system—consisting of an anchor point (which can be a pre‑rigged line to allow freedom of movement), a lanyard, and a full body harness—is more suitable