Sending our people home safely
Marine professionals unite on the dangers of enclosed spaces and applaud those working to improve safety onboard.
Entry into enclosed spaces remains a hazardous activity. Last month, the IMarEST came together with The Nautical Institute and InterManager at an event at London’s IMO to announce the winners and runners-up for an Enclosed Space competition to raise awareness of the danger and champions solutions for enclosed spaces onboard. Part of a wider Enclosed Space project being run by the Human Element Industry Group, the IMarEST is currently represented in this group by President-elect Martin Shaw.
Masking up
Martyn James AFNI is a marine pilot with Associated British Ports. His competition entry is a safe evacuation idea first developed when he was a cadet 13 years ago. “The basic principle is combining technology that already exists in the form of a respiratory mask, an oxymeter, and an emergency escape breathing device (EEBD),” says James.
“The user enters an enclosed space with a mask pre-donned, enabling them to carry out their work as required. However, should the oxygen level drop below the safe threshold, then the device would automatically become an EEBD, allowing them to escape the space.” James’ idea won him £1,000 at a British Shipping Safety Awareness competition in 2010 and continues to have relevance as he won the technology award on the night.
Wider community input
Jonathan Rushton AFNI AFRIN says his idea came from investigating marine incidents for previous employers. “You can always learn from the past to make a better future. I've been involved in the rescue of a person from a 21-metre deep cargo tank on a VLCC. It's better to prevent such injuries and deaths than to carry out a rescue. A rescue from an enclosed space is awful for the rescuers and frightening for the injured party,” says the retired global marine specialist who previously worked for Talisman Energy and Shell Tankers.
Rushton’s idea won the process category on the night. It proposes to establish an expert panel with the sole purpose of reviewing enclosed space deaths from existing sources of information. The experts should be drawn from a wider community than the maritime sector alone. The resulting conclusions would shine a spotlight on the leading factors contributing to deaths in enclosed spaces.
Rushton has witnessed many improvements in maritime safety throughout his career. “Proper practices and procedures which are robustly audited and strictly adhered to by all on board a ship and those in its management ashore ensure safety for all,” he says.
What more needs to be done? “Proper training for all tasks performed by all ship’s staff and shore-based personnel working on a ship will ensure proper understanding of all enclosed space entry requirements. Are the procedures clearly written in the first language of all personnel employed on each ship? Sometimes they aren't and persons entering an enclosed space are unaware of all dangers,” he concludes.
(Credit: Mick Walsh)
A more risk averse culture
Competition runner-up Mick Walsh MIMarEST is chief engineer on a superyacht. Together with his colleague Ewan McIntyre, they identified poor design and poor procedures, a lack of training and discipline and a lack of information, plus inadequate equipment when researching for their competition entry.
“For my first enclosed space entry as an inexperienced teen, there was no standby person, no permit, no gas detector and no toolbox talk. I had no idea of the risks I was being exposed to. Later, I experienced the other extreme while working for an oil major: reams of permits and very strict, yet generalised procedures. This was also problematic because the overly prescriptive approach led to a greater focus on the paperwork than the risks. Since then, I have learned to appreciate the value of robust controls that are also flexible and task specific.”
Having decided that enclosed space safety is primarily a human factors issue, they looked at risk mitigation and raising the standards through training. “The common denominators in any successful enclosed space entry are proactive preparation, risk assessment, knowledge-sharing and realistic training. Pressure and complacency are two of the biggest issues for enclosed space safety and we believe that having documents, equipment and permits that add real value to the task make it less likely for procedures to be bypassed.”
Safety on superyachts has changed significantly over Walsh’s career. “Crews in the superyacht industry are more engaged and motivated on safety matters than they were a decade ago. The industry is moving from high risk appetite to a more risk averse culture. This is possibly down to broader cultural and generational trends but I also attach importance to how leadership and communication qualities are evolving due to the effects of human factors training.” And good quality, functional and comfortable PPE also helps. “In my experience, crew will demonstrate great responsibility with equipment that they perceive value in. I have noted this working aloft harnesses,” says the IMarEST member who believes the current conversation surrounding seafarer well-being is very relevant.
“To reduce fatalities, both from accidents and ill health, we need to take far better care of our seafarers,” says Walsh, commenting on recent studies showing a worryingly high level of anxiety, depression and burnout across the maritime industry. “The maritime industry appears to struggle to climb above the bottom rows of the Maslow pyramid – there is a need to move towards a more holistic, person-centred approach that meets the social, spiritual and esteem needs of the seafarer.”
To become a member of the IMarEST Human Element Working Group, log into My IMarEST, click on My Special Interest Groups and then tick the boxes of the SIGs you’d like to join. You can then also join the group on Nexus, our networking platform.
IMarEST members with an interest in joining a new Superyacht Special Interest Group should email technical@imarest.com.