Cindynics, The Science of Danger

Appendix 9Collection of Information on the Queen Mary II Gangway Accident

A9.1. The facts

It was approximately 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, November 15, 2003, when a gangway linking the quay to the Queen Mary II (under construction and scheduled for delivery on December 22, 2003) collapsed, causing 46 people to fall 18 m, 16 of whom died and 30 were injured, 18 of whom were unable to work for more than three months.

Among the elements of the context, the gangways were also referred to as “cut” although the latter technically corresponds to an opening in the hull of the vessel or under the “planks”. They were also referred to under the torque number of the vessel at which they were installed. Thus, the damaged gangway was designated by the number C292/1 (see Figure A9.3).

The 46 people on the gangway came from two groups of visitors accompanied by executives from SA Chantiers de l’Atlantique and a group of employees from the cleaning company who went on board, under the direction of a Chantiers manager, to dust off electrical cabinets.

A tradition allowed managers and supervisors and, under certain conditions, those of subcontracting companies, to show ships under construction to relatives in the evenings or at weekends.

A large number of visitors were expected during this afternoon of Saturday, November 15: a total of 1019, with 796 between 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Two checks were carried out at two different points by the accompanying manager. Finally, a security guard from the ...