Shipboard safety is more than a mere frame of mind for the men and women who don the SIU colors. To them, it’s really a way of life.As evidenced by the myriad of safety-related awards and accolades that SIU-contracted companies and their vessels over the last several years have received, the “Seafarers’ lifestyle” and the benefit it affords the maritime community is fast becoming the industry standard.
“Going to sea is one of the most dangerous jobs in the maritime industry,” said J.C. Wiegman, assistant director of training at the SIU-affiliated Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education in Piney Point, Md. “Each ship has its individual and often unique safety concerns. This is true whether it’s a cruise ship carrying passengers or a tanker carrying dangerous liquid.
“For these and other reasons, each crew member must be safety conscious—alert to assess risk and report hazards, insure they wear safety equipment and take actions that foster safe work environments during their daily shipboard activities.”
To prepare mariners to meet these rigid safety requirements, safety training—and heaps of it—is incorporated in virtually all phases of the Paul Hall Center curriculums, Wiegman pointed out.
“Safety training is included in every course taught at the school,” he said. Altogether, at least 35 different courses are available to trainees and upgraders addressing some area of shipboard safety.
“Not only do we teach a large variety of safety courses to all students who come to the school, we also have safety personnel located in most of the ports where SIU-contracted vessels call on,” said Jimmy Hanson, safety director at the Paul Hall Center. “Their primary function is to help crew members and the companies with assorted safety issues.”
In addition to providing assistance at the various ports around the country, Hanson and his safety colleagues regularly call on companies and board their vessels to conduct training.
“We visit companies and ships and teach safety on-site in a myriad of safety modules including fire fighting, First Aid & CPR, back safety, slips, trips and falls, eye, hand and foot protection and many more,” Hanson said. “For example, we have an ongoing program with Delta Queen Steamboat Company where we visit each of their ships three times per year and teach a wide variety of safety programs. We do this with a number of other companies as well.”
Some companies also have their own safety programs, according to Wiegman, many of which are required by regulatory agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. The U.S. Coast Guard also has specific mandates for safety training.
“Remember,” Hanson concluded, “a good safety program at all levels makes safety take off and set sail.”
Shipping company executives are not shy about elaborating on the fundamental necessity of safety in their operations, nor of the tremendous contributions Seafarers make in their overall safety programs.
“Safety is our number one priority,” said Bill Cole, Alaska Tanker Company (ATC) director of labor relations. “It is a prerequisite for every job we do and is embedded in every job on our ships. Our philosophy is that each crew member has to go home in the same condition he or she arrived for duty—without injury. We have implemented various programs to facilitate and expand this type of environment.”
Cole said SIU members have been crewing vessels for his company since 1999. “We have had some injuries and accidents, but those were in the early days,” he said. “Since then, we have gone 8 million man-hours without a lost-time injury. This is a direct result of all crew members practicing and observing good safety practices. We initiated a Near Miss Program that requires members of the crew to report potential accident areas, so that they can be prevented. This program has worked out extremely well for us and, as a result, we have landed several safety awards.”
Cole noted that SIU crew members played a significant role in ATC’s winning the awards because they are the ones who do the work: “It’s them who are there when the rubber meets the road. The SIU has embraced our company’s safety culture and has done an excellent job in communicating that concept to the rank-and-file members,” Cole said. “The members, in turn, have done a tremendous job in formulating and nurturing a safety-conscious work environment.
“We look forward to a continued positive working relationship with the SIU leadership and rank-and-file members,” he concluded. “Collectively we will continue to improve the work environment so that no one ever gets hurt.”
Tony Naccarato of SIU-contracted Crowley also views safety as an essential feature in the daily operations of his company’s vessels.
“Safety is the most important activity in the operation of Crowley vessels,” said Naccarato
“First and foremost, we do not want any of our crew members injured. Then there’s the company image—the perception that our customers have of us and we of ourselves. As a world-class leader in safe and quality transportation services, our image is continually improved and polished by job performance done right—with zero accidents.”
SIU members have crewed Crowley vessels for decades, according to Naccarato. “This is a valued relationship because of the professionalism and excellent safety record of the SIU seafarers,” he said.
Naccarato noted that while his company’s safety program has not yet realized its goal of zero accidents, they definitely are headed in the right direction. “Crowley vessels have continued to improve their safety performance,” he noted. “Our accident rates have significantly decreased over the last few years. Our goal, to be recognized as the global safety leader in the transportation industry, will be achieved through all of our efforts. It is a voyage with a fixed destination—zero accidents. Our safety partnership with the SIU is a critical step to achieving a world class safety culture.”
Crowley officials and employees understandably are very proud of the company’s award-winning safety performance. Like ATC, Crowley frequently has visited the winner’s circle when hardware recognizing excellence in shipboard safety has been handed out.
“The SIU crews throughout our fleet, both owned and managed, are to be congratulated for helping us earn our various safety and environmental protection awards,” Naccarato noted. “Transferring over 50 million barrels of oil without a spill (one of the company’s recent awards) is an outstanding job. This takes constant attention to transfer procedures, equipment maintenance and repair, watchstanding, and bridge team management.
“The crews demonstrate the importance of teamwork in spill prevention and vessel safety,” he continued. “The extensive training which they have received at the school in Piney Point has solidified the culture of safety throughout the industry. The net result of all these efforts is that Crowley and the SIU have set the model for operation of ATBs on the West Coast. Crowley’s working relationship with the SIU is one that is based on a safety partnership.
“Our long-term and valued relationship is like a good shipmate—you can count on them getting the job done right and safe,” Naccarato concluded. “Crowley is very proud of the safe work performance of our employees and SIU members. Safety is not only the right thing to do—it is our future.”
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