life-saving equipment

AMSA: Kapok-filled jackets should be replaced and destroyed

AMSA issued a safety alert to raise awareness of the risks associated with the use of out of date, kapok-filled lifejackets. Kapok filled lifejackets with cotton straps are decades old and have not been manufactured since the 1980s. However, an unknown number are still being used.

Kapok is a cotton-like fluff that is no longer used in lifejacket manufacture, because it naturally loses buoyancy over time and, if it gets wet, it will absorb water.

Furthermore, the cotton straps rot over time, even...

https://safety4sea.com/amsa-kapok-filled-jackets-should-be-replaced-and-destroyed/

Personal protective equipment most critical to crew safety, study shows

Reducing seafarers’ workplace injuries is of great importance to shipping and ship management companies. A new study investigating the causes of these injuries found that injury reduction campaigns focused on personal protective equipment (PPE) would be most effective at reducing risks to workers.

The study, published in ‘Risk Analysis: An International Journal’, seeks to identify the important influencing factors and to build a quantitative model for the injury risk analysis aboard ships, so as...

https://safety4sea.com/personal-protective-equipment-most-critical-to-crew-safety-study-shows/

USCG advises personnel to be properly trained on using life-saving equipment

The Eighth District Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI) of the Outer Continental Shelf issued a safety bulletin, ‘Lifeboat operations on manned facilities’, in order to alert offshore operators about an accident that took place on a floating offshore facility.

Specifically, when the accident occurred, the crew was conducting a lifeboat exercise, in line with their scheduled maintenance and training plan. When retrieving the lifeboat and while the lifeboat was at the same level with the...

https://safety4sea.com/uscg-advises-personnel-to-be-properly-trained-on-using-life-saving-equipment/

Quality and proper maintenance vital for safety equipment onboard

In an exclusive interview with SAFETY4SEA at Nor-Shipping, Oslo, Mr. Baba Devani, Managing Director of Marine Operations at SURVITEC, discussed the need for owners and operators to emphasize on quality of safety equipment to ensure true compliance and safety performance. Safety, Mr. Devani argued, is way more than just obtaining a certificate.

Our key message from an industry perspective is safety, safety, safety.

When selecting safety equipment, it is important for the ship owner or operator to...

https://safety4sea.com/cm-quality-and-proper-maintenance-vital-for-safety-equipment-onboard/

Lessons learned: Man overboard fatality when transferring from boat to boat

In its latest Safety Digest, UK MAIB analyzed a man overboard fatality, involving the transfer of an individual from a moored RHIB to a small inflatable dinghy. MAIB stressed that the two people onboard routinely wore lifejackets when they took the RHIB to sea, but did not wear them when rowing to the mooring to bail the boat.

The incident

The owner of a RHIB and a friend rowed a small inflatable dinghy out to the moored RHIB to bail out rain water.

It was a blustery afternoon so both men were...

https://safety4sea.com/lessons-learned-man-overboard-fatality-when-transferring-from-boat-to-boat/

UK: 11 died due to not wearing a lifejacket in 2018

A total of 11 people drowned in 2018 in UK because they did not wear a lifejacket or a buoyancy aid. This is one of the main findings of this year’s Casualty Review Panel, who met earlier this year to discuss last year’s maritime fatalities.

The Panel reviewed 22 fatalities from 2018 and agreed that 11 lives could have been saved if they had been wearing a lifejacket.

This figure is slightly lower than last year’s figure of 13 lives (out of 27 fatalities).

In the twelve years that the Panel has...

https://safety4sea.com/uk-11-died-due-to-not-wearing-a-lifejacket-in-2018/

How to get authorization for service providers for lifeboats, launching appliances and on-load release gear

Panama informs of the requirements to apply for permanent authorization for Service Providers for Lifeboats, Launching Appliances and on-load Release Gear. It also provides the list of authorized services providers.

Considering the guidelines on MSC.1/Circ.1206 Rev.1 of 11 June 2009, Service providers conducting the thorough examination, operational testing, repair and overhaul of lifeboats, launching appliances and on-load release gear must be authorized accordance to MSC.1/Circ.1277.

GET THE...

https://safety4sea.com/how-to-get-authorization-for-service-providers-for-lifeboats-launching-appliances-and-on-load-release-gear/

USCG: Slight increase in ship detentions in 2018

Following release of its Domestic Vessel Annual Report, the US Coast Guard now issued its annual PSC report for 2018, informing of a slight increase in the number of detentions, with a detention rate of 1.16%, compared to last year’s 0.99%. USCG conducted 9,025 SOLAS safety exams with a total of 105 detentions and 8 ISPS control actions in 2018. Meanwhile, the three-year rolling average detention ratio dropped slightly for the second year in a row from 1.39% to 1.06%.

Our data this year shows...

https://safety4sea.com/uscg-slight-increase-in-ship-detentions-in-2018/

USCG: Lifejackets should be tried on in a controlled water environment

During the last boating season, the US Coast Guard received an increased number of reports of incidents from recreational boaters where infant lifejackets did not perform as expected in the water.

While incidents involved multiple models and manufacturers, investigations revealed no findings of non-conformance or manufacturing defects.

According to data provided by the USCG Office of Design & Engineering Standards and the Office of Boating Safety, it was confirmed that the products met USCG...

https://safety4sea.com/uscg-lifejackets-should-be-tried-on-in-a-controlled-water-environment/

Cold water reduces survival times, warns Maritime NZ

In view of the upcoming Easter holidays, Maritime New Zealand reiterated the need for boaties to plan ahead and factor in the dangers posed by cold water and air temperatures.

Recreational Boating Lead for Maritime NZ, Baz Kirk, said survival times are reduced in the cold and boaties need to know the marine weather conditions before they hit the water.

In water, the body loses heat 20 to 30 times faster than it does in air. Some life-jackets provide a little bit of insulation, but you don’t want...

https://safety4sea.com/cold-water-reduces-survival-times-warns-maritime-nz/

+ More
Join Our Newsletter
Enter your email to receive a weekly round-up of shipping news.
icon
By subscribing, you agree with our privacy policy and our terms of service.