In Swedish2010
The parts and the whole
In recent years, however, the concept of work environment has undergone a healthy development. The realisation has spread that it is about so much more than the issues focused on earlier; it is now widely accepted that the work environment encompasses people as a whole and how we feel.
Year of Seafarer
2010 has been declared the Year of Seafarer by the UN safety organ IMO (International Maritime Organization). Ashok Mahapatra, manager of the section for Maritime Education and human resource issues at the IMO headquarters in London, says that the main reason for this declaration is to direct attention to the world’s one and a half [...]
Tank explosion during loading of oil
When a mate was loading vacuum gas oil on a cold winter evening an alarm was heard, indicating high pressure in one of the two tanks which were being filled. After the alarm had been noted, the watch seaman was sent out to check whether the pressure relief valve was working. Since he saw gas streaming out of it, the seaman assumed that the valve was working, which he told to the mate.
Faulty reconstruction lead to overfilling
When the ship was refueling it became apparent that it had been overfilled and oil ran out from the starboard side. Filling was immediately stopped and all necessary measures were taken. The relevant authorities were contacted and cleaning was initiated, but despite these measures approximately 600 litres of diesel oil ran out.
Broadband radar does not fulfil requirements
A new type of radar called broadband radar, mainly intended for leisure boats and smaller ships, has been launched on the market. This type of radar differs from traditional radar in that it transmits continuously and not in pulses. It is not compatible with radar beacons and transponders, and does not show racon signals or SART signals (signals from life rafts, for example).
Explosion onboard led to burn injuries
A woman was walking along the quayside where a fishing boat was moored and heard a bang. A person in flames came out of a door in the boat. The woman shouted to the person to jump into the water, which he did. The woman then called for help from other people nearby and they all helped to pull the burned person out of the water. After some time the injured person arrived at a hospital and was given intensive care.
Insjö will change name and reward reporters
The Swedish maritime industry has a reporting system for accidents and near accidents called Insjö/Foresea, which is specially adapted to the internal ISM system that many shipping companies must have.
Milla’s darkness saves sleep
The days of black plastic bags and cardboard covering the portholes on the Bro Anton are now over. Thanks to the steward, Camilla Högberg, there are now specially sewn blackout curtains with an elastic edge which can be easily stretched over the portholes. Camilla was recently rewarded with 20,000 kronor by the Foundation for Swedish Seamen for her inventiveness.
Foresea prize established
On 5 May Andreas Hultgren was given the newly established award, the Foresea prize from Insjö/Foresea, at the Swedish Mercantile Marine Foundation annual awards ceremony in Stockholm. He received a prize of 5000 kronor for writing many well-formulated deviation reports during his previous duty as DP (designated person) at the Sirius shipping company.
Campaign against pirates
On 20 May a worldwide Internet-based campaign started against the growing threat of piracy. It is hoped to collect at least half a million signatures through the website www.endpiracypetition.org for the World Marine Day with the aim of encouraging the world’s governments to take strong action against the plague of piracy. Major marine organisations such [...]
Drugs testing effective – if done professionally
Testing is one method for checking that the rules of the shipping company are followed. However, you have to be aware of unprofessional testing companies and poor quality measuring instruments, says Olof Beck, professor of pharmacology at Karolinska Institutet in Solna.
Zero tolerance onboard appreciated
Banning alcohol onboard is a good thing. It raises safety levels, discussions are avoided about how much is acceptable to drink, and colleagues with alcohol problems are not constantly subjected to temptation. That is how the crew on the Sirius Olympus view the situation.
The necessary talk
Somebody looks rough when it is time to be on watch. He or she perhaps smells of alcohol sometimes, has a hangover or seems to be drunk. This is the time for you, as an officer or HR manager ashore, to have a talk with the person.
Seafarers in risk group for alcohol problems
Zero tolerance is not a good method for preventing alcohol problems onboard. It is more successful to have an open dialogue about drinking habits.
Leadership is the theme of the year
Being a good leader and a good manager can be a heavy challenge, not least on a ship. As a captain you must live with your decisions around the clock; you must be clear and decisive when required, but at the same time you are part of the social community onboard.
Fredrik Warrebäck is responsible for both work environment and safety
As ship safety officer, Fredrik Warrebäck is in charge of work environment activities onboard. The job is no one-man show, however, and he works in close cooperation with the chief safety officer who represents the different departments.
Better check on sickness absence
Hewitt helps companies to gain a better overview of employees’ presence and absence at their workplace. Affiliated companies regularly report information such as normal working hours, overtime hours, absence due to sickness and leave. In return, they receive a summary of their own reports as well as access to other companies’ information.
Review of the STCW convention coming to a close
The IMO has made great progress with the review of the current edition of the STCW convention (Standards of training, certification and watchkeeping). A few items remain to be solved before the diplomat conference the week before midsummer, when the new version will be officially adopted.
The revision will make it easier and clearer to interpret [...]
MOB boat fell with crew in
During an exercise with a man overboard boat (MOB boat) one of the crewmembers happened to pull the handle for releasing the hook (A in the picture). The boat fell 14 metres down to the surface of the water, hitting the davit on the way down and tipping out three of the crew into the water.
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Defective lifebuoys causing problems
The problem with defective lifebuoys which fill with water after the foam in them has collapsed is larger than first envisaged. All the signs indicate that it is the manufacturing method which causes the problem. We are aware of three types and makes in which the foam has collapsed.
