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Situational awareness applies to everyone in the world, from knowing where another car is on the road, to knowing how far ahead a dock is from your bow. We must always be aware of our surroundings to maintain a safe environment.
The US Coast Guard describes Situational Awareness as the ability to identify, process and comprehend the critical elements of information about what is happening to the team (your crew) with regard to the mission. More simply, it's knowing what is going on around you.
When someone in the wheelhouse, or any other crew member, loses sight of their surroundings and becomes comfortable, that increases the potential for human error.
The loss of Situational Awareness usually occurs over a period of time and will leave a trail of clues. Be alert for the following clues that will warn of lost or diminished Situational Awareness:
- Confusion or "gut feeling"
- No one watching or looking for hazards
- Use of improper procedures
- Departure from regulations
- Failure to meet planned targets
- Unresolved discrepancies
- Ambiguity
- Fixation or preoccupation
Disorder within the team can cause a "gut feeling" that things are not right. This clue is one of the most reliable because the body is able to detect stimulus long before we have consciously put it all together. Trust your feelings!
Situational awareness is dynamic, hard to maintain and easy to lose.
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Situational Awareness is always needed. Take for example, "Watch the Bump!" call-outs. This informs other crew members what is going on around them.
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Knowing what is going on all the time is very difficult for any one person, especially during complex high-stress operations. Therefore, it is important that we know what behavior is effective in keeping us situationally aware.
The following actions can help a team retain or regain situational awareness: - Stay alert for deviations from standard procedures
- Watch for changes in the performance of other team members
- Be proactive - provide information in advance
- Identify problems in a timely manner
- Show you are aware of what's going on around you
- Communicate effectively
- Keep abreast of the mission's status
- Continually assess and reassess the situation
- Ensure all expectations are shared for complete awareness by the whole team
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MAINTAINING STEERING RODS
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Steering Control Rod- A critical, fragile piece of the steering system
There is a reason there are normally grates protecting these key elements of Higman boats. Without these rods working and in place, the boats rudders would turn as far as possible to their last known command and lock in place. If this were to happen, your boat would steer hard to port or starboard with nothing you could do. This would endanger you, your crew, and any vessel in the vicinity. So regular maintenance is important.
This rod pictured above is located under the front and back side of the grating on Higman vessels. The maintenance you can do to ensure nothing goes wrong is listed below.
- Ensure all nuts are secured on the bolts, and that each bolt has a nut keeping it secure.
- Check to see if the rod is bent or scraping against anything. It should be replaced if so, and is an item listed in your critical spares.
- Grease weekly through use of the grease zerts, and make sure to not over grease. Wipe away excess grease.
- If your boat doesn't have grease zerts, use lithium grease to spray the joints.
This is a key element on the boat, and the crew should assure it is kept in tip-top shape.
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2016 - 2017 HBL Annual Benefits Open Enrollment
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Open Enrollment is NOW until August 31, 2016
The annual benefits open enrollment period is the one occasion each year when employees have the opportunity to make voluntary changes to their enrollment elections for benefits. All benefit elections are effective September 1, 2016.
Your medical benefits will remain the same with Meritain; your dental, group basic life, voluntary life and AD&D will remain the same with Guardian.
I don't want to change my elections, is there anything that I have to do?
No, there is nothing you need to do. All elections will remain the same.
I want to update (add/decline/remove) my current elections and/or dependents. What do I have to do?
If you wish to make a change to your insurance benefits (add, decline, or remove your spouse and/or dependent) for any of the products being offered (medical, dental or voluntary life/AD&D) you will need to complete the Insurance Enrollment Form found at www.higmanboats.com. Click PERSONNEL, then OFFICE FORMS, then click INSURANCE ENROLLMENT.
Print and complete the form and return to Mary Kay Cole at marykayc@higman.com by August 31, 2016. If you are adding your spouse and/or child, please make sure you include their birth dates and social security numbers.
Below are NEW payroll deductions for benefit options effective **Sept. 1, 2016.
Medical - premium monthly rates that will be deducted per pay period:
Employee Only - $35.00
Employee + Spouse - $180.00
Employee + Children - $225.00
Employee + Family - $270.00
Dental - premium monthly rates that will be deducted per pay period:
Employee Only - $0.00
Employee + Spouse - $30.00
Employee + Children - $35.00
Employee + Family - $65.00
** This change does not affect premiums for those who have been employed five years or longer.
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You should know the importance of being financially prepared for an emergency. You participate in safety meetings and drills on your vessel for just this purpose - emergency response.
But in this case, are you prepared for personal emergencies if you have to get off the boat unexpectedly? What if a close family member is seriously ill and you need to get to the hospital? The Afloat Personnel Department may work diligently to arrange to get you off the boat, but then what happens if you need to hire a taxi cab to get to the airport to catch a flight? Who is going to pay for that taxi ride? Who is going to pay for the flight? Do you have enough cash, or a credit card, to take care of such an emergency?
For circumstances like that, it's a good idea to keep at least $100 cash in your wallet in the form of smaller bills, such as five (5) twenty-dollar bills. This comes in handy if you need to pay for a taxi, buy a meal, hire someone to help change a flat, and provides cash when needed for any number of unexpected situations.
There are situations where not having a credit card is an inconvenience. Car rentals, hotel reservations, and airline bookings all require a credit card. So another option for emergency funds is to carry a regular or prepaid credit card, setting spending limits within your budget.
Prepaid credit cards are cards from Visa, Mastercard or American Express, similar to a debit or gift card, since they are already funded with a set amount. A s you use your prepaid card, the amount of each purchase is deducted. If you deposit $300 onto your prepaid card and pay $150 for a car rental, you will have $150 left to spend. Once you use your entire balance, you must deposit more money onto your prepaid card. Prepaid cards offer some of the same theft and loss protections as a regular credit card. If you report the loss or theft of a registered card to the issuer, most will restore your original balance and issue a new card.
Prepaid credit cards do charge operating fees so be sure to shop around and compare. There can other fees associated with the card. Each time you pay a fee, it is deducted from your balance, reducing the money you have to spend. However, since everything is prepaid, spending is controlled and there are no int erest fees, finance charges, or late payments. What you have in your account is the limit you have to spend.
While you can get a prepaid credit card regardless of your credit history, a prepaid credit card won't help establish or improve your credit, since usage reveals nothing about your borrowing or repaying habits, and prepaid credit card companies don't report spending activity to credit bureaus. If you have a prepaid credit card, it won't appear on your credit report or influence your credit score. If you want to rebuild your credit, a secured credit card is needed. This is similar to a prepaid credit card since you first have to make a deposit. But, it's actually a regular credit card. The deposit acts as collateral in case you don't pay your credit card balance when it's due.
If you do have to use some of your emergency cash or credit, remember to replenish what you used as soon as you can, whether it's in twenty-dollar bills or reloading a spending amount onto a regular or prepaid credit card.
We never know what may happen, but we do know, "It's better to be safe, than sorry." First, be careful to consider your budget and spending habits. Then, take time now to prepare to keep emergency funds with you at all times.
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Complacency is defined as "self-satisfaction, especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies." In short, we stop paying attention. And, when it comes to workplace safety, we become at risk for injury, illness and even death.
In a recent study there were 4,447 fatal and 2.9 million non- fatal work injuries in the United States workplace. According to the National Safety Council, the single most common cause of fatalities was complacency.
Pat Riley, the legendary coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat had this to say:
"When a great team loses through complacency, it will constantly search for new and more intricate explanations to explain away defeat."
Let's look at some causes of complacency. - Systematic Desensitization: When we hear the same message over and over or have gradual and then constant exposure to a dangerous activity, over time we become immune to the message or the danger.
- Normalization of Deviance: A long-term phenomenon where individuals or teams repeatedly "get away" with a deviation from established standards or procedures until the incorrect method or practice becomes normal. It becomes the implied standard. You do something improperly without incident or getting hurt so you keep doing it. Over time as you don't have an incident, or get hurt, you then believe nothing bad will happen.
- Inattentional Blindness: In short, we see what we want to see. When we are focused on one thing, like getting the job done quickly, we pay little attention to the hazards around us. Expecting what is supposed to happen can result in missing the unexpected or the out of the ordinary.
- Optimism Bias: Looking through "rose colored glasses." We overestimate the likelihood of positive events and underestimate the likelihood of negative events. We don't think an accident or incident can ever happen to us, but we are sure we are going to win the lottery.
In addition to these causes, complacency can also arise from fatigue, stress and long hours.
Warning signs of complacency in your workplace: - Accepting Lower Standards of Performance: For example, not completing or following an inspection sheet or checklist.
- Erosion of Desire to Remain Proficient: Not making an effort to keep learning which can lead to falling behind on new practices and procedures
- Satisfaction with the Status Quo: People resist change and are satisfied with the way things are and do not seek improvement.
- Neglecting Personal Safety Items: At first this may seem stupid or just an episode of forgetfulness, but neglecting even the smallest item of personal safety may be a strong symptom of complacency.
Avoid complacency. Steering clear of complacency requires two kinds of awareness: Situational Awareness: See the big picture, not just the details. Be aware of everything around you and how they might interact to create a dangerous situation. Self-Awareness: Think about what you're thinking about. Pay attention to your mindset and where your focus is.
If you're the leader, avoid complacency in your personnel by following safety and policy and procedures.
- Keep Fresh: Change the methods, but keep the important message.
- Stay Personal: Know each individual, talk and listen, and tell your stories from personal experiences they can relate to.
- Emphasize Importance: Demand safety and do not tolerate any deviation from accepted practices and policies.
So, you ask, "What does this have to do with me?" Plenty! Are you just going through the motions during your "hitch," your 6 on/6 off, pencil-whipping checklists and DOI's, not making proper rounds, avoiding checking lines, and so on? Or, are you truly approaching each task and evolution with the proper mindset?
If you are not doing proper drills, not holding pre-docking meetings, omitting JHA's, and not checking charts because you have improperly done all these things hundreds of times because you know your job "like the back of your hand," you might be starting to become complacent. |
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Take Caution with Energy Drinks and Heat
Energy drinks have become extremely popular, but these drinks don't mix well with the heat. Heavy activity in the sun during the hottest part of the day is a fast way to dehydrate yourself. You can also dehydrate slowly by drinking the wrong drinks throughout the day. Signs of dehydration include fatigue, headache, dizziness, nausea, dry mouth and lips and low energy.
Energy drinks promise improved mental & physical performance by giving the drinker a rush of energy for a short period of time. Energy drinks have a large dose of caffeine and caffeine-like stimulants that cause dehydration. An energy drink contains more caffeine than a cup coffee, but the body does not have the ability to process these ingredients in a timely way. Therefore, problems may develop.
Energy drinks are not designed to replace lost fluids while working in the heat. When energy drinks are consumed, dehydration can happen quickly. Rather than having the desired effect of re-hydrating the body, the caffeine in energy drinks have a diuretic effect. This effect causes you to urinate more often and causes your body to lose too much fluid.
There may additional adverse effects of consuming energy drinks that should be taken into consideration in the workplace. Some negative effects that can occur:
- Jitters
- Restlessness
- Nervousness
- Insomnia
- Irregular heart beat
- Increased urination
In larger doses, the following negative effects can occur:
- Depression
- Lapses in judgment
- Disorientation
Don't wait until you feel thirsty to drink. If you are already thirsty, you may have already lost 2% of your body's fluid. The onset of heat exhaustion can begin after losing 3% of the body's fluid, and heatstroke occurs once 8% is lost.
Energy drinks should not be confused with sports drinks such as Gatorade and PowerAde, which contain electrolytes and other helpful ingredients that help your body stay hydrated. The best way to keep yourself hydrated, especially in hot weather, is by drinking water or a sports drink that replaces electrolytes, sugars and salts.
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Capt. "Bub" Meredith and Relief Capt. Gary Smith
of M/V Sandpiper choose an appropriate drink for staying well hydrated -- "WATER!"
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NAV ZONE - USE ALL YOUR NAVIGATION TOOLS
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Higman provides all the boats in our fleet with advanced electronics and other tools to assist you in your job on the water.
All this equipment is available to help you locate and avoid obstructions on our busy waterways. To avoid collisions and ensure safe passage, mariners must utilize all these available navigational tools.
The tools available to you include radar, chart plotter, AIS, satellite compass, printed nautical charts, Rose Point, swingmeter, spotlight and binoculars.
In addition to these aids, obviously your own vision is an essential and valuable tool to use during route navigation. All these components should be used together for the overall safety of your vessel operation.
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USCG RULES OF THE ROAD QUESTIONS
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INLAND ONLY...Which lights are required for a barge, not part of a composite unit, being pushed ahead?
a. sidelights and stern light
b. sidelights, a special flashing light and a stern light
c. sidelights and a special flashing light
d. sidelights, a towing light and a stern light
INLAND ONLY...A fleet of moored barges extends into a navigable channel. What are the color of the lights on the barges?
a. red
b. amber
c. white
d. yellow INLAND ONLY...A barge more than 50 meters long is required to show how many white anchor lights when anchored in a Secretary approved "special anchorage area?" a. 2
b. 1
c. 3
d. none INLAND ONLY...If your tug is pushing a barge ahead at night and it is not a composite unit, which light(s) should show aft on your vessel? a. a white stern light
b. two red lights
c. two towing lights
d. a towing light over the stern light INLAND ONLY...What lights are required for a single barge being towed alongside? a. sidelights and a stern light b. sidelights, a special flashing light and a stern light
c. sidelights and a special flashing light
d. sidelights, a towing light and a stern light
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The British Steamship Thames
In the past week researchers have found a once lost steam ship, the Thames. She was found beneath the Arctic where it sank in 1877 while trying to traverse the Northeast Passage. Finding a way through the Northeast Passage was an obsession for explorers in the late 1800s. The route was discovered in 1850 by Robert McClure, but not successfully navigated until a 1903-06 expedition led by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. The Thames was a 120-ton vessel that sailed to the Russian Arctic in an attempt to open a trade route between the UK and Siberia through the Arctic Ocean. The ship was the first ocean vessel to enter the Yenisei, the largest river flowing into the Arctic, and one of the first to navigate the North-east Passage shipping route. The vessel was carrying cargo of graphite, bound for Britain, when it ran into trouble in icy waters in the wilds of northern Russia, some 916 miles north of the regional capital Krasnoyarsk. In 1876, after anchoring for the winter, they began to travel up river through the Northeast Passage. But the ship soon ran aground in the icy water, and sank to the bottom. The captain and his British crew survived the disaster, and traveled back home over land. Captain Wiggins continued to sail through hazardous Arctic waters, and even supplied rail tracks for the Trans-Siberian railway line.
The first pleasure-cruise ship is due to travel the Northeast Passage this week.
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| Here's Nes, the smiling face greeting you at the Peninsula Office or answering your phone calls. In addition, she handles uniform
shirt and pant orders and schedules annual physicals. |
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| | Tankermen accompany Dorian in Chicago to inspect barges |
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Sixth Session
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| Complete | Seventh Session
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| Complete | Eighth Session
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| Complete | Ninth Session
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| Complete
| Tenth Session
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| Complete
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First Session
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| Second Session
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| Third Session
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HIGMAN
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LEADERSHIP
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First Session
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Second Session
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Third Session
| TBD |
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First Session
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Second Session
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First Session
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Second Session
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Third Session
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| Complete | | Fourth Session |
| TBD | | Fifth Session |
| TBD | | Sixth Session |
| TBD | | Seventh Session |
| TBD |
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To schedule training please email Janis or Austin.
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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: 2520
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Answer to this weeks Nav Gen: C, C, A, C, B
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Sincerely,
GORDIE KEENAN
JANIS ANDERSON
DENNIS ZINK
AUSTIN ZODY
© 2016 HIGMAN MARINE SERVICES, Inc.
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