Almost lost a thumb on a thruster repair in the Gulf

Was working on a platform leg near Port Fourchon last October, replacing an anode on a 36-inch thruster. My tender lost comms for maybe 45 seconds, and the current swung me right into the blade housing. Got my hand pinned against the grating before I kicked off. That half second of silence taught me to always run a backup line to the cage, not just the tender. Anyone else rig their own safety tether separate from the comms line?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_young761mo ago

Respectfully, I see it different. A backup line can tangle or give false security if your primary tender is already solid. I lost a thumb tip on a similar job and the real lesson was better comms discipline and hand placement, not more rope.

lunah121mo ago

@claire_young76 so you're saying the backup line actually made things worse for you? Did you have time to rethink the setup before you lost the tip or was it just a split-second thing?

roberts.leo1mo ago

Tripped over my own backup line once and nearly face-planted into the work.