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Get the strength to jump in when something does not look right
In a typical movie scene, an out of control bus careens wildly onto an unsuspecting victim. Out of the shadows, the hero jumps into action and pushes the helpless person out of the way, saving their life. Dramatic, yes; typical in the real world, maybe not.
Was this safety intervention? Yes, it is in the basic sense and on the personal level.
Safety intervention is defined simply as an attempt to change how things are done in order to improve safety. At Higman, it could be any change to the Safety Management System documenting new programs, practices, or initiatives intended to improve safety. It can be a Safety Alert sent out to the boats describing a potential hazard.
It can also be defined as an action by a crewmember to stop another crewmember from putting themselves into harm's way.
Safety policies are great, but for them to be effective, individual proactive action sometimes needs to take place to keep an incident from happening. Intervention means that any crewmember must be ready to take action to stop something that is potentially dangerous.
- A young deckhand is assigned to paint the hood over the wheelhouse windows. Without much thought, he erects a stepladder on the forward catwalk and gathers his gear. Intervention: The tankerman on watch explains to the new deckhand that fall protection is not only required but it's just makes plain common sense. If that ladder tips, it is a potentially fatal fall to the deck below.
- The Captain is cutting up chicken pieces to add to his famous gumbo. The knife is moving swiftly and his fingers are exposed to the blade on several slices. Intervention: The deckhand has been watching and speaks up. "Capt, watch your fingers. They are getting awful close to that blade."
Eyes wide open
Look at an actual incident that could have been prevented with intervention.
A loaded company barge is slowly being guided into position to couple up with another loaded barge tied to a dock. As the pilot guides the barge into position, a young Tankerman 1, recently promoted from Deckhand, attempts to catch a soft line on the center kevel of the moored barge which is still fifteen feet away. From the video, while throwing the line, he appears to lose his balance and falls overboard. With the help of the nearby, more experienced Tankerman, he quickly scrambles back onboard as the observant pilot backs away the barge.
This was a very serious incident that could have ended up differently.
- Intervention: The experienced Tankerman should have told the less experienced Tankerman to wait until the barges closed in. A Tankerman with a soft line has no effect in pulling the barges together. Let the boat do the work.
- Intervention: The experienced Tankerman may have noticed that there were tripping hazards at the other's feet. "Hey, watch your footing."
- Throughout our day we may see something that others are doing that could be potentially dangerous. Most of the time it is clear. Sometimes though, your second sense may kick in; you may not consciously see a problem, but something in your brain tells you to intervene.
It is our responsibility to do an intervention when things are not right.
Is intervention always well received?
A recent study showed that a quarter of those responding to a survey felt they could not intervene because the other person would become defensive or angry. That may be the case when intervening with another's unsafe action, but the potential outcome of an accident is too important to ignore intervention.
Take time to discuss the reason behind any intervention. Different approaches may be needed for different crewmembers.
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Every boat has good ideas
Good ideas need to be shared, refined and become "Best Practices." A "Best Practice" is defined as a method or technique which shows results superior to those achieved with other means, and for that reason, becomes used as a benchmark. In addition, a "Best Practice" can evolve to become better as improvements are discovered.
This column is dedicated to sharing the best practices developed while operating your tow. Each issue we aim to outline a "Best Practice" sent in by the fleet. Share your Best Practice by sending to Gordie.
This week's "Best Practice" is from the Gordie (former chief engineer):
Your compressed air system is essential to provide power to many systems aboard. It is used for starting main engines; it provides control air for the throttles and clutches. Many portable tools such as deck grinders and chipping guns get their power from compressed air. On the barge, it gives an intrinsically safe way to start pump engines.
Like any system under pressure, leaks can develop. Typically a leak can be located by the hissing sound of the escaping air. However, in the engine room with main and auxiliary engines running, it can be hard to find a compressed air leak by sound.
On a regular basis, it is a best practice to check for minor leaks by shutting down all the engines on board for a few minutes. A good time to check for leaks may be when the tow is secure, waiting for dock space, etc. and when it is time to change over generators.
Once the main engines and generator engines have been shut down, walk around the engine room and listen for leaks. If you hear one, follow the sound and pinpoint the leak. The location of small leaks should be recorded for future repairs if they cannot be addressed by the crew. Large leaks may need to be addressed at the time with notification to the Repair Department.
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Snacks - The Good and Bad Part 3
We previously covered the "bad" snacks, now we will start with the "good" snacks. As in the past articles below is the daily recommend nutritional guideline for adults.
Calories - 2000 - 2500
Fat - 65g/Saturated Fat 30g
Cholesterol - 300mg
Sodium - 2000mg - 2200mg
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| Planters Sunflower Kernels (1/4 Cup)
160 calories
Fat 14g
Saturated Fat 1.5g
Full of healthly fats |
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| Sun Chips Original
140 Calories
Fat 6g
Saturated Fat 1g
Fiber 2g
Made of whole grains |
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| Baked!Lays Chips
210 Calories
Fat 3g
0g Saturated Fat
4g Fiber
Suprisingly fiber full |
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| Smart Food Reduced Fat
Popcorn
Calories 120
Fat 5g
Saturated Fat 1g
Fiber 2g
Low fat and fiber |
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| Snyder's Mini Pretzels
Calories 110
Fat 0g
Saturated Fat 0g
Naturally fat free |
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Dangers of Chlorine
Easily overlooked as an everyday maintenance item, chlorine has a sinister dark side. Used in WWI and WWII, weaponized chlorine gas killed thousands of soldiers on the battlefields and sent even more home blinded and disfigured.
Today, we use chlorine to sanitize everything from our countertops to our drinking water. A common practice in the fleet, due to convenience, is to keep a bucket of chlorine tabs on top of the MSD for use. The problem with this practice is that it is too close to the bilge where oily water that may contain lube oil, antifreeze, hydraulic oil, diesel or any number of chemicals may have found their way into the bilge. Chlorine is known to have a violent reaction with many petroleum and ethanol glycol-based products creating deadly chlorine gas and in some cases even causing spontaneous combustion. Lately, the USCG has been noting this discrepancy during inspectio ns and it's easily fixed. By storing the chlorine tabs in the upper engine room away from the bilge we can greatly reduce the chances of a chlorine container spilling into the bilge while underway.
Please pass the word about this important safety topic! It might save a life!
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INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR DEPENDENTS OVER AGE 17
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Dependents 17-26 years old
You are able to keep dependent(s) over the age of 17 on your insurance until they are 26 years old. However, it will cost you an additional $200 per month UNLESS you provide written proof from the school they attend that he/she is a full time student.
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EVERYBODY, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, NOBODY
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Could this be you? Hope not!
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| | This story lesson was noticed on M/V Aransas Pass by Michael Huerta |
You've probably seen this before, but behind the play on words, there is sound advice. Don't be like Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. Instead, take responsibility both at work and in your personal life to do things with integrity. This involves action on your part. Act on what you know needs to be done to do every job the right way.
Everybody, Somebody and Anybody could have acted and gotten the job done. Nobody did. Don't be a Nobody!
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NAV ZONE: RADAR CERTIFICATES
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For all Wheelmen the orange passport style license should state "Radar Observer." This statement simply says that you have a valid Radar Certificate. At any time you are on a vessel the Coast Guard may ask you to present your Radar Certificate from the school that issued it. You are responsible for ensuring that your current Radar Certificate is kept with your license.
Check your certificate (not your license); if it expires in the next couple of months then you need to renew. Radar renewal is a one day course. Several schools in Louisiana offer the class a couple of times a month, but you need to plan early. Houston Exam in Houston offers the course Monday through Thursday. Please call or email Kelly to schedule a class.
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USCG NAVIGATION GENERAL QUESTIONS
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You are using a radar in which your own ship is shown at the center, and the heading flash always points to 0². If bearings are measured in relation to the flash, what type of bearings are produced?
A: Relative
B: True
C: Compass
D: Magnetic
A radar display in which North is always at the top of the screen is a(n) _____________.
A: unstabilized display
B: stabilized display
C: composition display
D: relative display
A navigator fixing a vessel's position by radar ________.
A: should never use radar bearings
B: should only use radar bearings when the range exceeds the distance to the horizon
C: can use radar information from one object to fix the position
D: must use information from targets forward of the beam
Coral atolls, or a chain of islands at right angles to the radar beam, may show as a long line rather than as individual targets due to ______.
A: the effects of beam width
B: limitations on range resolution
C: the pulse length of the radar
D: the multiple-target resolution factor
You are approaching a light fitted with a RACON. The light may be identified on the radar by _____.
A: a dashed line running from the center of the scope to the light
B: an audible signal when the sweep crosses the light
C: a circle appearing on the scope surrounding the light
D: a coded signal appearing on the same bearing at a greater
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Alligator Meat for the Red Snapper Fleet, 1916
Here is an almost one hundred year old article from the Galveston Daily News discussing the use of salted alligator meat for bait to catch Red Snapper. Anybody using this today?
March 11, 1916 - To Use Big Lot of Alligator Meat.
Fishing Smacks leave Port Arthur for Gulf Banks.
Special to the news.
Port Arthur, Texas, March 11, 1916 - The red snapper fishing smacks, the Bohemian and the Grazia Cireno, left today for the fishing banks in the gulf. The two boats belong to the White Fleet Fish Company, the present instance of sailing being the first time out this season for the vessels.
A news item attached to the incident is that the vessels are taking with them about 440 pounds of salted alligator for bait. And experiment was made with this bait at the close of last season, and it was found to be the best bait of several varieties used, the others being salted skipjack and other varieties of fish.
After trying out pickled alligator for red snapper bait, the company placed an order for half a dozen barrels of the flesh with a local camp of alligator hunters who were taking the aquarians for their hides. About five barrels of flesh was secured, part of which was taken out today.
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This was one of the last remaining schooners known on the Gulf Coast as a "Snapper Smack." It was originally the schooner "Virginia" built in Essex, MA in 1910. It was rebuilt in Florida in 1926-27 and given the name "Buccaneer."
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| | Tankerman Trainee KJ Moore, M/V San Marcos, picking up lines at Algiers Locks |
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| | What a nice photo! Capt. Randy Hopson of the M/V RIO GRANDE with one of his sons, Capt. Jarrett Hopson of the M/V CAPT. PETE. |
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Fourth Session
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| October 1
| Fifth Session
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| November 5
| Sixth Session
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| January 26
| Seventh Session
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| February 11
| Eighth Session
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| March 1
| Ninth Session
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| April 7
| Tenth Session
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| May 31
| Eleventh Session
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| June 21
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First Session
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| April 20-21
| Second Session
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| May 2-3
| Third Session
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| May 11-12
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First Session
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| October 5-6
| Second Session
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| October 15-16
| Third Session
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| October 26-27
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Fourth Session
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| November 2-3
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Make sure crewmembers have access to the Training Newsletter
- Print a copy of each issue for the crew.
- You may join our mailing list by clicking below:
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Higman CBT Certificates earned year to date: 4757
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Answer to this weeks Nav Gen: A,B,C,A,D
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Sincerely,
GORDIE KEENAN
KELLY CLEAVER
JANIS ANDERSON
DENNIS ZINK
© 2015 HIGMAN MARINE SERVICES, Inc.
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