Accident Prevention and Safety at Sea - An Overview

SAFETY PHILOSOPHY
At sea, just as ashore, most accidents are preventable. However, the environment and working conditions
aboard seagoing vessels pose additional hazards not found ashore. The responsibilities to avoid accidents
flow from the top down; from the shore establishment to the Master, to each and ever individual aboard.
!"afet awareness! b all hands is the biggest single factor in reducing accidents.
As a researcher, ou pride ourself in being knowledgeable and proficient in the demands of our discipline.
#ou have undoubtedl ac$uired patience and a demand for attention to detail when working in the lab to
ensure the validit of our research. The demand for such attributes is no less great when learning to live
safel aboard a research vessel.
The old clich% !&t's not m job! does not appl at sea. Ashore, ou can go home and forget about work and
the safet(related aspects of our work surroundings. #ou can easil travel a different route if there is
construction work on our normal route. A power failure at home is an inconvenience. #ou are aware of an
medical emergenc onl b the ambulance sirens. Aboard our ship, not onl will ou need to be aware of
an construction or deck operations, ou must be able to determine when and where it is safe to pass. A
power failure aboard ship can be catastrophic. A medical emergenc aboard ship affects everone(ou ma
be the onl person available to assist the victim.
ACCIDENT-CAUSING FACTOS
S!i"#oard Environ$ent% As a research part member, ou must learn to live and work safel in a
potentiall dangerous shipboard environment. "uch factors as motion, noise, vibration, temperature
e)tremes, close living conditions, rotating machiner, and lines under tension are not normall encountered
on shore. Almost all who go to sea will, at one time or another, be seasick. The saing that ou first fear that
ou will die and later fear that ou won't is not too far from fact. A seasick person should be given onl light
duties until recovered and should never be assigned duties that re$uire alertness, caution, or agilit.
Medicines that prevent motion sickness can sometimes cause drowsiness(beware of this* "hip's motion can
cause fatigue in two was. +irst, it's sometimes ver difficult to sleep when the vessel is pitching and
rolling. ,ven in fairl calm seas, it takes a newcomer one or two nights to adjust. "econdl, just moving
about on a vessel in angr seas takes phsical effort which in time, will wear down the most fit. +atigue
promotes carelessness.
-hen temperature e)tremes are too great, overall performance is impaired. .esides the debilitating effects
of sunstroke, heat e)haustion, frostbite, hpothermia, etc., lesser phsical impairments are possible. These
include increased reaction time, decreased mental awareness, loss of de)terit and coordination, and fatigue.
/oise can have both a phsiological and a pschological effect. 0ermanent hearing loss can be the result of
sustained high noise level as well as e)treme loud noises of short duration. 1onfinement aboard a ship in the
fog can be unnerving with the constant sound of the fog horn hour after hour and even das on end. "imilar
detrimental effects can be caused b das of air gun firing. These noises create tension and an atmosphere
which ma promote an accident. -orking around nois e$uipment for an e)tended period of time can cause
phsical and pschological damage. &t is important that ou recognize and avoid these potential dangers.
The sun shines brightl at sea, causing glare conditions. 0roper ee shading is a necessit. At the other end
of the spectrum is night vision. A bright light on a dark bridge or other working area can be blinding. &t takes
several minutes readjusting our ees. &t is important that ou determine the time needed to establish our
night vision; it is e$uall important that ou learn to avoid blinding others who have alread established
their night vision with an unmindful flashlight in the face or an bright white light, to a darkened condition(
referred to as establishing night vision. 2ed lights do not have a blinding effect and must be used when
maintaining night vision.
&n a shipboard environment, especiall confined spaces(ou ma be e)posed to chemical agents in the air.
1ontaining and e)hausting laborator fumes present an additional challenge aboard ships. 2ecognize these
potential hazards* -hat is acceptable in a shore side lab ma not be suitable in a much more confined
shipboard environment.
There are a number of factors which contribute to accidents; few accidents have a single cause. The
immediate cause is usuall the most apparent, but is not necessaril the underling cause which ma be
harder to pinpoint and usuall answers the $uestion !wh! for an accident. "ome of the major factors
contributing to accidents on research vessels are3
"hipboard ,nvironment
,$uipment and Materials
Training and ,)perience
1ommunications
At sea, slips and falls are the leading causes of injur. 4o ou know how to properl climb a ladder5
4eveloping !sea legs! is not onl gaining e)perience in navigating wet decks but also knowing what
footwear to wear as well as learning to be war and cautious.
&f ou do not want to go through life being called !6eft,! learn how to stead ourself without placing our
hands on the doorjamb 7the knife edge8 when traveling through watertight doors.
E&'i"$ent and (ateria)% 4efective, improperl installed, or improperl used e$uipment is a major
contributing cause of accidents. &n doing research from a ship at sea, a lot of faith is placed in machiner
and e$uipment. -hether deploing science packages, working in the labs, or going about our dail routine,
ou must rel on properl functioning shipboard and scientific e$uipment. The sudden failure of e$uipment
due to overloading or defective materials almost alwas leads to an injur. Man pieces of machiner are
inherentl dangerous and are therefore provided with safet guards, warning signs, and are assigned safe
working loads. &gnoring these safet features defeats their purpose.
-hat are the side effects of some motion sickness medicines5 -hat are the more subtle phsical
impairments of temperature e)tremes5 4o ou know wh ships use internal red light at night5 4o ou know
how the basic deck machiner works and where not to be when it is activated5 4o ou know how or even
wh ou would want to dog a hatch5 6earning to find our wa around the ship, to understand the
terminolog, and to recognize factors that have traditionall proven to be causes of accidents takes a little
time; take time now*
Trainin* and E+"erience% A lack of skill, e)perience, and knowledge concerning shipboard procedures can
easil lead to accidents. 4uring our initial e)posure to a procedure or a piece of e$uipment, e)tra care and
supervision ma be necessar until everone is far enough along on the !learning curve! to make for a safe
operation. . paing attention and learning proper procedures, ou can eliminate unnecessar accidents.
Co$$'nication,% 0eople react to what the think the hear, not necessaril what the person speaking
actuall sas. 0oor communications due to such factors as language barriers, unfamiliar terminolog,
background noise, or failure to speak distinctl lead to misunderstanding, mistakes, and ultimatel,
accidents. The person in charge must establish and maintain good communications in order to coordinate the
efforts of a team. 6isten so that ou clearl understand the hazards ou face and their possible
conse$uences.
ACCIDENT PE-ENTION
An effective accident prevention program is built on the tenets of management and supervisor
commitment, safet awareness, and training.
(ana*e$ent and S'"ervi,ory Co$$it$ent% This includes budgeting time and funds for safet(related
activities and e$uipment; the willingness to reject unsafe practices which might at times, especiall under
pressure, seem e)pedient; and positive reaction when risks and9or safer was to do things are pointed out b
crew members.
"hipboard living aboard a research vessel is not a passive e)ercise(if ou are not constantl aware of our
surroundings, then ou can endanger ourself and other crew and scientific members. Although our
circumstances as a research part member ma not allow ou to participate in most shipboard duties, the
limited amenities and services of a research vessel re$uire that at the ver least ou be able to take care of
ourself.
Safety Awarene,,% "afet aspects of ever operation should be routinel considered b all hands. All hands
should be aware of the effectiveness of the safet program. The 2:;1 has collected accident statistics
showing the collective accident rate to be rather low 7good8. However, there is no justification for accepting
the current rate as !good enough! since virtuall all accidents can be prevented.
6earning to move around our vessel will provide ou man new challenges. -hen climbing vertical
ladders, alwas face the ladder(do not attempt to go backwards. Always hold on to the rail. Avoid using
portable ladders unless absolutel necessar(and then, onl if it is lashed to an immovable object. -hen two
or more people are using the ladder at the same time, the second person should sta far enough below as not
to get kicked in the head, and should not look upward in case of falling dirt or rust. Avoid carring large
objects up or down ladders or stairs; instead, pass or hoist them in assembl(line fashion. Avoid blocking
stairwells while stopped in conversation or b placing an object in front of stairs or ladders.
1orridors and passagewas should be kept free. -hile entrance and e)it passagewas serve as travel routes
from one end of the ship to another, the also serve as emergenc e)it routes. /ever block entrance and e)it
passages with objects. -hen objects are stored in a passagewa, the should not block or be on top of an
emergenc escape hatch.
-atertight doors normall remain closed, even during calm seas. -atertight doors that are re$uired to be
open are done so b latching them in an open position 7even in calm seas, be ver war of watertight doors
that !swing! with the ship8. 4uring heav weather, dog all watertight doors. 4og the side opposite the hinge
side first.