Fisher killed by falling beam, investigation finds

Leigh Spencer, 49, died in an accident on The Cornishman in 2021

A fisherman died at sea off the Cornish coast after a beam fell and struck him, an investigation has found.

Leigh Spencer, 49, died on 6 February 2021 on fishing vessel The Cornishman about 44 nautical miles (81km) off the Isles of Scilly, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said.

Its investigation found the port trawl beam had been hoisted to facilitate a repair to the fishing gear but "fell and struck him".

The report said: "It was found that a chain that was part of the trawl beam's quick-release gear had failed, causing the beam to fall."

The report also highlighted several safety issues including risk assessments not being followed and ineffective mitigations, which put the crew at risk while working under a suspended load.

The chain type was also found to be "unsuited to marine operations", as salt water caused environmental cracking.

It also found the supplied chain had been unsuccessfully tempered during manufacture, which resulted in a high level of hardness and low ductility.

The installation of the chain caused it to be led over a fixed pin, which introduced bending stresses to the chain links that were affected by corrosion and cracking, the investigation found.

Recommendations given

The report said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency had been recommended to update the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment) Regulations 2006 guidance to state training and accreditation requirements of people inspecting lifting equipment.

Investigators also recommended updating training and guidance given to surveyors to improve their ability to check compliance with the regulations.

It was recommended the owners of The Cornishman, W. Stevenson & Sons Limited, ensure compliance with the lifting equipment regulations by reviewing and updating risk assessments, as well as confirming with chain suppliers the selected chains were suitable for their intended use.

The manufacturer of the beam's chain, Capital Group FASING S.A, Poland, was recommended to review and amend its chain quenching and tempering process.