Fall from height during transfer and delayed rescue due to medical fitness and recovery limitations

Who could be interested in this?

• Marine and offshore personnel involved in transfer operations

• Vessel crews and marine coordinators 

• Offshore installation and windfarm personnel 

• Occupational health professionals 

• Safety advisors and duty holders responsible for fitness-to-work standards

What is this about?

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) have released Accident Report 2/2026 Very serious Marine Casualty.

The report is on a fatal incident which occurred during a personnel transfer when an individual fell from a pilot ladder while boarding a vessel at sea. 

The individual sustained injuries during the fall and entered cold water. Although recovered alongside the vessel, they remained partially immersed due to failure of recovery equipment and were not fully rescued for over 40 minutes. The individual later died.

The investigation found that it was probable the individual experienced a sudden medical event during the climb, resulting in loss of grip and fall. Subsequent immersion in cold water, combined with delayed recovery and limited first aid intervention, significantly reduced the chance of survival.

This incident highlights the combined risk of: 

• Working at height during transfers 

• Potential for sudden medical incapacity 

• Limitations in rescue and recovery systems 

• Environmental exposure (cold water immersion) 

• The weight of an individual can hamper rescue and recovery 

Further findings identified that: 

• The individual had underlying health conditions that should have affected their fitness for duty but were not fully assessed during the medical certification process. 

• There was no defined occupational health standard aligned to the physical demands of the role (e.g. climbing ladders) 

• Personnel were unable to prevent the task proceeding despite concerns about the individual’s fitness (stop-work ineffective) 

• Recovery equipment failed under load and no secondary recovery method was available 

• Prolonged exposure to cold water significantly reduced survivability

People can become incapacitated without warning. If rescue systems, medical assurance, and stop-work controls are not robust, a survivable incident can quickly become fatal.

This demonstrates that fitness for task, rescue capability, and emergency preparedness must be treated as critical safety barriers—not assumptions.

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