Maritime legislation: new areas for safety of life at sea

This study reveals areas where IMO regulations of safety of life at sea can be improved upon. After examination of 5389 mortality and 3559 accident cases of UK seamen and 6878 fatalities of worldwide seamen, it finds fatalities due to personal accidents on board ship constitute ~90% of all mortality cases. Therefore, prevention of personal accidents should be given a higher priority. It reveals also that accidents involving coastal (domestic) ferries were another concern in the safety of life in shipping, e.g. in 1996 alone more than 2562 fatalities occurred in this sector. As a case study, the nationalities of 364 deceased seamen in bulk carrier disasters (1990?1998) are identified. Fatalities to British and worldwide seamen are based on the data obtained from various sources. However, fatalities to seamen working on board open registry ships are the best estimation, based on the information available to the authors.     

Attitude to safety onboard fishing vessels in the Northern Periphery

This paper reports the findings of a study within the European Union Northern Peri phery Programme targeting attitude to safety onboard fishing vessels. The study was designed to improve safety, to save lives and to reduce the number and severity of accidents onboard fishing vessels. Using psychological research methods a questionnaire was developed for assessing safety attitudes on board fishing vessels. An analysis of the collected data allowed for the identification of the underlying attitudes to safety. An intervention programme to improve these attitudes was developed based on the analysis of the answers provided by survey participants. Face to face discussions were used to change the attitudes encountered. The results were measured in order to realize in which way the attitudes have changed after the discussions. Through this work a steady reduction in the numbers of incidents, fatalities and injuries amongst fishermen is hoped to be achieved.     

Culture in maritime safety

Many accidents, resulting in a larger number of fatalities during the last few years, have focused attention on issues of maritime safety. Accident registration reveals that a large proportion have human related causes, and indicates that, by looking at cultural aspects, one's understanding of the underlying mechanisms leading to accidents might increase. Several constructs of culture and climate have appeared on national, organizational and safety levels. Those constructs are discussed together with problems that occur when interpreting accidental data, and recording accidental causes. The papers reviewed indicate the existence of a 'chain of evidence' from accidents/safety to attitudes, communications, conflict-solving, etc. and further to safety culture. To be able to reduce the risk for accidents, there seems to be a need for coordination and the cultural perspective seems to be one that integrates and takes the many disciplines and multi-level nature of accidents and safety into account.     

Culture in maritime safety

Many accidents, resulting in a larger number of fatalities during the last few years, have focused attention on issues of maritime safety. Accident registration reveals that a large proportion have human related causes, and indicates that, by looking at cultural aspects, one's understanding of the underlying mechanisms leading to accidents might increase. Several constructs of culture and climate have appeared on national, organizational and safety levels. Those constructs are discussed together with problems that occur when interpreting accidental data, and recording accidental causes. The papers reviewed indicate the existence of a ‘chain of evidence’ from accidents/safety to attitudes, communications, conflict-solving, etc. and further to safety culture. To be able to reduce the risk for accidents, there seems to be a need for coordination and the cultural perspective seems to be one that integrates and takes the many disciplines and multi-level nature of accidents and safety into account.     

Some unsettling maritime terms: the interpretation of found, cargo, ballast and voyage

This paper examines the meaning of four common maritime and admiralty terms: found, cargo, ballast and voyage . These terms are problematic because their definitions are elastic which makes application of the terms difficult. The four terms are important because significant legal consequences are attached to each of them, particularly for seamen on flags of convenience (FOC) and crews of convenience (COC) vessels in US ports. The findings of the author are based on personal experience as well as research conducted in preparation as an expert witness in several maritime cases in both the US District Courts and in Louisiana State Courts, personal interviews with seamen on FOC/COC vessels, interviews with legal and economic experts on the international maritime industry and officials of national and international labour organizations.     

Causes of casualties and the regulation of occupational health and safety in the shipping industry

The aim of this paper is to investigate maritime safety from an occupational hazards perspective as opposed to a maritime casualty perspective. It is recognised that safety in shipping should encompass casualties arising from accidents occurring in the course of performing normal seafaring duties, not just those arising from technical defects or maritime disasters. The paper discusses an investigation involving a survey of 19 flag states and two detailed studies of records kept at the Hong Kong and Singapore maritime administrations. The results indicate that occupational accidents account for a significant proportion of fatalities at sea. The statistics presented specify the ship types that are most at risk, as well as the types of occupational hazards that can most frequently lead to accidents and fatalities. The results of this study indicate voids in the process of investigating fatalities that relate to occupational accidents. These results also indicate inadequate investigation of events and causes. The creation of a database of such information could potentially be used for the development of appropriate regulations that could prevent fatal and non-fatal occupational accidents through regulatory processes.     

The economics of railway safety

This paper reviews the statistics and economics of railway safety in Great Britain, the European Union and the United States, together with some results for Finland and Japan. In these countries railway safety has improved over recent decades. That finding applies both to train accidents and to personal accidents such as persons struck by trains. Fatal train collisions and derailments command most attention even though they are infrequent and account for only a small minority of railway fatalities. Great Britain, the EU and the USA formally espouse conventional cost benefit analysis for the appraisal of railway safety measures, using the same valuations for the prevention of casualties as are used in road safety appraisal. However there are often strong institutional, legal and political pressures towards adopting railway safety measures with safety benefit: cost ratios well below 1. The best-documented examples of this are automatic train protection systems, which are discussed in the paper. Apart from trespassers, the largest group of railway fatalities occur at level crossings, which the paper also discusses. Level crossing safety measures would seem to be an appropriate subject for cost benefit analysis, but there are few case-studies in the literature. Over the last few decades, the railways in many countries have been privatised or deregulated with the aim of improving their economic performance. Such changes have the potential to affect safety. The paper reviews evidence of the effects on safety of railway restructuring in Great Britain, Japan and the United State, and finds no evidence that safety deteriorated.     

Analysis of occupational accidents encountered by deck cadets in maritime transportation

The 2010 Manila amendments to the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Code (STCW) was adopted by the idea to render the profession more attractive to the seafarers, particularly to cadets. It is possible to ensure greater attraction only by providing suitable and safe working conditions on board to cadets. This study analyses occupational accidents and near misses encountered by ocean going deck cadets, who received A-II/I training, during their sea training. The aim of this study was to determine causal factors influencing work accidents and to propose several recommendations for the safety of deck cadets. A total of 857 officer candidates, who received maritime education at university level in Turkey, were interviewed. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was used in the study to analyse the occupational accidents. As a result of this study on deck cadets, the most risky areas for work accidents were found to be the deck (39.9%), cargo areas (35.7%), areas used for manoeuvring operations (including winch areas and areas in which berthing, unberthing, and anchoring operations take place) (16.1%), and accommodation areas (8.3%). The most important root causes for occupational accidents were identified as not using personal protective equipment (24.2%), haste (22.6%), and presence in inappropriate places (13.6%). This study offers some important insight into the prevention of occupational accidents, and includes suggestions and advisory opinions of sector representatives. As a result of this study, several recommendations for the prevention of accidents are proposed.     

Occupational mortality among British merchant seafarers (1986-1995)

The decline of the British merchant fleet in recent years has led to an increasing proportion of British seafarers taking employment in flags of convenience and other foreign-registered vessels. It is then a matter of some importance as to whether the British seafarers who serve in foreign ships are at greater risk of mortality and, when fatalities do occur, whether the deaths are appropriately investigated. Using information obtained from files at the Registrar General for Shipping, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and many Coroners, it is evident that British seafarers serving in foreign vessels were, during the study period 1986-1995, at greater risk of mortality through work-related accidents, suicides and unexplained disappearances at sea. Those serving in the British fleet, however, died more frequently through illnesses, and through off-duty accidents and drowning. When fatalities occurred in the British fleet, the relevant log book extracts were routinely deposited with the appropriate British authorities; for deaths in FOC vessels these documents were rarely forthcoming. While the deaths of British seafarers were investigated in the large majority of cases, foreign flag state authorities seldom conducted inquiries; it was the British authorities who usually conducted the investigations.     

Occupational mortality among British merchant seafarers (1986-1995)

The decline of the British merchant fleet in recent years has led to an increasing proportion of British seafarers taking employment in flags of convenience and other foreign-registered vessels. It is then a matter of some importance as to whether the British seafarers who serve in foreign ships are at greater risk of mortality and, when fatalities do occur, whether the deaths are appropriately investigated. Using information obtained from files at the Registrar General for Shipping, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and many Coroners, it is evident that British seafarers serving in foreign vessels were, during the study period 1986–1995, at greater risk of mortality through work-related accidents, suicides and unexplained disappearances at sea. Those serving in the British fleet, however, died more frequently through illnesses, and through off-duty accidents and drowning. When fatalities occurred in the British fleet, the relevant log book extracts were routinely deposited with the appropriate British authorities; for deaths in FOC vessels these documents were rarely forthcoming. While the deaths of British seafarers were investigated in the large majority of cases, foreign flag state authorities seldom conducted inquiries; it was the British authorities who usually conducted the investigations.     

海上船舶碰撞事故原因探讨——疲劳的剖析

在发生的船舶海事事故中,人为因素特别是疲劳被确认为一个促进因素,由于疲劳导致人犯错误是无数海难事故的根源,包括20世纪最严重的一起海上环境污染事故-Exxon Valdez轮事件.疲劳的影响对航行中的船舶来说是非常危险的,因为疲劳能影响驾驶员的思想行为,以及对事情作出判断或解决复杂问题的能力.通过几个案例来阐述疲劳的危害,以引起船舶管理者和操船人员的重视.同时提出了在航行条件下,驾驶员如何采取一些方式避免或减轻自己疲劳的建议.     

船上作业安全生产及劳动保护

船舶修造市场作为一个具有技术市场前景的行业,船上作业安全生产与劳动保护工作尤为重要。为加强船上作业劳动保护工作,现结合案例对船上作业安全生产事故进行分析,并从法律、防护用品、教育培训、工会监管、企业管理等方面提出劳动保护措施。     

Seafarers’ perceptions of competency in risk assessment and management: an empirical study

Past analysis of accident investigations suggest an absence of or inadequate practices of risk assessment and management on board vessels. Although the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (ISM Code) requires that the risk management process must not only be correctly formulated and implemented but also be periodically evaluated in order to verify that these objectives are attained, the correct and effective implementation and application of the process cannot be achieved without active involvement of competent seafarers on board. Due to the limited investigation of seafarers’ competencies in risk management, the reasons for the inadequacies in the process that are leading to accidents were not evident. Hence, using a survey, this paper conducted a pilot study investigating seafarers’ perceptions of competency in the various components of the risk management process conducted on board vessels. The findings of this paper suggest an overall satisfaction with the risk assessment process. However, there is certainly room for improvement as far as seafarers’ performance is concerned. The findings of this paper provided valuable insights into the current training regimes in the area of risk assessment and management paving the way towards enhanced safety procedures on board vessels.     

Evacuation in practice — Observations from five full scale exercises

Evacuating a ship is a difficult task which normally is performed under severe and demanding conditions, exposing both crew members and passengers on board to an extreme and demanding situation. To be prepared for an incident happening on board and shouldering this responsibility is part of the everyday reality of the crew members’ work situation. This study reports the results from observations made on board five passenger ships performing full scale exercises with participants acting as passengers. The results pointed out four problem areas; the safety organization, the ability to perform tasks, the handling of life vests and communication. These areas represented an uncertainty in the requirements associated with the crew members’ role in the safety organization implied. There was also evidence of difficulties in the crews’ performing of different tasks, problems with donning life vests and insufficient communication. The crew member groups on board differ in their skills and knowledge to handle an evacuation situation. These groups need to be studied separately and systematically in order to determine how they comprehend their work situation and what their needs of preparation and training are in order to feel content with meeting the demands of their role in the safety organization.     

船舶防海盗袭击的对策

近十几年来，曾一度销声匿迹的海盗又死灰复燃，据IMO统计，从1984年初至1999年11月底，IMO收到全球范围内海盗袭击商船事件的报告1 587起，海盗对船舶的袭击，轻则偷盗船舶上物品和船员的个人贵重物品，重则杀死船员抢劫船舶和货物。从船员和船舶安全的角度，介绍船舶防止海盗袭击的应急反应和防范对策。     

Enforcement of law by the Port State Control (PSC)

Since the International Maritime Organization (IMO) introduced the Port State Control (PSC) programme in 1982, it has been playing a vital role in the enforcement of safety law at sea worldwide. This paper addresses the effectiveness of PSC and the effectiveness of the methods for selecting ships to be inspected adopted by regional PSC. Data on ship total loss (from 1973-2003) and on the PSC records (from 1994-2005) have been collected. The study reveals that the enforcement of PSC is effective in improving the safety level of maritime transport. The methods adopted by regional PSC are compared on their effectiveness, efficiency and stability in identifying substandard ships. Suggestions are made on the improvement of the enforcement of PSC.     

色彩在船舶上的应用与安全

船舶上的色彩应用会直接影响海员的情绪、情感，进而影响到海员的身心健康和工作效率。分析和研究色彩的特性，将有利于揭示色彩与环境以及色彩与情绪、行为的关系，为色彩设计提供依据，给海员一个温馨的生活和安全的工作环境，以消除色彩搭配不当对海员造成的不良影响，减少人为因素导致的海上事故的发生。     

船员自行更换备用锚方法的探讨

随着 PSC 检查的进一步严格,对锚设备的检查也越来越细致,而由于锚的缺陷换备用锚的工作也会时有发生。由于在现有的资料中,对于船员自行更换备用锚的方法没有介绍,因此,许多船员认为船上的备用锚仅仅是满足公约的要求,而不需船员自行更换。当 PSC 官员要求船方使用备用锚来替换现有的缺陷锚时,常常感到无从下手,因而引起检查人员和船公司的不满,为了避免上述情况的出现,本文提出了船员自行更换备用锚的具体方法和操作步骤。     

The social psychological consequence of a life at sea: A causal model

This paper explores the influence of this occupation on alienation and social integration of its members. Data were collected using a survey instrument from a sample of 293 seamen, both officers and crew. Factors determining variance in levels of alienation are examined using multiple regression technique. Results indicate that variance in several occupational features of life at sea affect the degree of alienation experienced by seamen, and a number of social characteristics were found to mitigate these influences. Supplementary qualitative data are also used.     

防止国内航行船舶封闭处所安全事故的思考

该文分析了国内航行船舶进入封闭处所安全管理的现状和存在的问题,从制度制定、航运公司安全管理、船员训练操作、海事安全监管等角度进行归纳分析,提出了制定完善国内船舶进入封闭处所法规规范、加强对国内航行船舶实施进入封闭处所安全管理的相关建议,希冀对改进国内船舶安全管理水平、减少因进入封闭处所操作导致的伤亡事故具有一定指导意义。