In SwedishRegulars
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mistaken instrument reading led to grounding
The investigation by the Marine Department indicates that the most probable explanation is that the skipper mistook the rudder angle indicator for the yaw indicator. Both instruments look very similar and indicate values on a display unit.
Drive on Port State Controls
ParisMoU (mainly countries in Europe and Canada) has carried out an inspection drive for three months. Twelve questions related to navigation safety were asked. A total of almost 6000 checks were made, resulting in 81 operating bans relating to the issues in the drive, and 1872 deficiencies registered.
Recommendations stemming from these investigations
The investigation unit of the earlier Marine Surveying Department, now the Marine Department of the Swedish Transport Agency, has carried out 159 investigations since 1997. A total of 313 recommendations have been issued, of which 125 were general and 188 more specific.
Insjö to become Foresea and internationalised
The shared Swedish maritime near-accident and reporting system, Insjö, has changed its name to Foresea. The system is about to be launched abroad and an agreement of cooperation between ICC, which administrates Foresea, and the Finnish Maritime Administration (now the Traffic Safety Agency) has been signed.
Work environment in times of crisis
A pleasant work environment is good, of course. Work is more enjoyable and personnel are more satisfied and happier. But is it really profitable? Do investments in the work environment pay for themselves? Yes, they do – and more besides.
At this year’s SAN conference Paula Liukkonen, economist and researcher at Stockholm University, talked about how [...]
EU creates a better work environment onboard
The EU commission has started work on drawing up a new social agenda for seafarers. A concrete proposal will be presented in two years’ time, explains Dimitrios Theologitis, section manager at the EU Commission’s marine department.
Dangerous slicing machines
Slicing machines are among the food processing machines that cause most accidents in catering kitchens. While carrying out its inspections of workplaces on land, the work environment authority has noted that a number of older slicing machines as well as new CE marked models do not fulfil current safety requirements.
