The Public Prosecution Service (OM) has fined a company from IJmuiden €60,000. An employee of the company was trapped on March 30, 2023, between a fast motorboat and a sea vessel and died the same day from his injuries. An investigation by the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT), in cooperation with the police, revealed that the company violated the Working Conditions Act.
The company transports crew members and passengers to and from large sea vessels visiting Dutch ports. Such a boat, carrying 3 employees and 1 passenger, departed from IJmuiden on March 30, 2023, to transfer the passenger to the ship. During the transfer, the 40-year-old employee became trapped and later died that day.
Risks
The ILT and police investigation showed that the IJmuiden company had insufficiently mapped the risks of entrapment. As a result, employees were not adequately informed about the dangers of the work and the risks could not be minimized as much as possible. Employers are legally required to ensure a safe and healthy working environment and to minimize risks as much as possible. According to the OM, the company failed in this regard, which is why a fine was imposed. A fitting penalty, according to the OM, because the company has since implemented improvements.
Awareness
Katja van der Wall from the Maritime International Accident Investigation team led the investigation on behalf of the ILT. “I prefer no accidents to happen,” Van der Wall explains, “but I am always ready to conduct thorough investigations and contribute to greater safety on board and on the water.” According to her, the most important lesson is that this company has learned from this tragic accident. “After the accident, the company tightened its safety policy. Work instructions were adjusted and employees received additional training on safe working when transferring passengers to sea vessels. More awareness about safety has now been created.”
