In SwedishEditor has the Floor
Seafarers with their lives on the line
In the middle of November this year 195 seafarers were being held hostage by Somali pirates. How many people will be forced to spend Christmas aboard their hijacked ships remains to be seen, but the statistics are dismal.
Comments closed
Safe summer with good role models
Summer is close at hand, with the promise of sun-drenched days of leisure and a more pleasant everyday pace for many of us. means There are also many substitutes out there on the ships at this time of year, especially on ferry services.
Comments closed
”We are each other’s work environment”
I do not believe anyone participating in the autumn SAN conference left there feeling unmoved. The day’s last speaker, Emilia Åhfelt Dimitriadis, talked about how she had been subjected to sexual harassment by her closest colleagues while she was a UN soldier in Kosovo.
Comments closed
Risk assessment - who is it good for?
Both Swedish and international regulations require that risks in our work environment onboard must be investigated and assessed. It is not unusual that cargo owners also make demands for risk assessment.
Comments closed
Disagreement about resting time when STCW was pushed through
The midsummer diplomatic conference in Manila pushed through a revised version of the STCW on 25 June (standards of training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers 1978, as amended in 1995 and 1997).
In 2006 the IMO decided to revise the STCW and after a number of meetings, workgroups and correspondence groups, the final result has now [...]
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.
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.
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 [...]
Financial crisis threatens the work environment
Of course the situation is tough for shipping companies and they have difficult decisions to make. But in bad times they are a little too quick to close the door on investments for personnel, while that door should really be closed last of all. The employees at sea are their most important resource who must be cared for in all situations.
Learning from mistakes – a high price for knowledge
After a long delay, the report of the Swedish Accident Investigation Commission on the Finnbirch disaster, in which two people died, was released at the beginning of December.
Looking for scapegoats creates stress
Following rules and writing policy documents to comply with requirements from authorities or customers is part of what we call quality shipping. What is often forgotten, however, are people and the psychosocial work environment and prevailing conditions onboard. There are many good examples of shipping companies that pay a lot of attention to their personnel and that constructed ships in the 1970s which still feel modern today.
Work environment generally good but much work remains
On about 60% of the ships that I inspected in 2007 and the first half of 2008, including new and old ships, machine parts were still being hand-washed in diesel in the machine room. Fuel valves were being pressure-tested using diesel, and on many ships there were no extractor fans in these environments. All this despite the fact we are now in 2008!
The industry must address work environment issues
Sweden must participate actively in all issues concerning the work environment to stay in the forefront when it comes to rules and regulations, protective equipment and the lowest number of accidents.
New year, renewed efforts
You are holding the first issue of SAN News 2008 in your hand. You will recognise it from last year, but a new vignette – Profile – has been added. Under that heading you will meet professionals that spend a large amount of time and effort improving the environment for those at sea.
