This time, our special column, in association with The North of England P&I Club, sheds light on maritime health. Health is the most important thing for anyone, let alone seafarers due to their challenging job. Rest hours, working out, food, better accommodation and mental health, are all key elements towards ensuring a healthy lifestyle. However, shipping does not always provide the same standard for seafarers to protect their health. For this reason, we asked experts on this matter, giving...
wellness onboard
ITF, USCG, Transport Malta: Advice on coronavirus protection
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), USCG and Transport Malta follow the rest of the shipping industry, providing advise on crewmembers and the rest of the maritime sector as seafarers and dock workers, on how to be protected by the coronavirus.
ITF Advice for crewmembers
- Encourage all onboard to practice hand and respiratory hygiene especially when coughing or sneezing.
- Crew should use hand sanitiser/wash hands following contact with any passenger or other crew.
- If on a...
https://safety4sea.com/itf-uscg-transport-malta-advise-on-coronavirus-protection/
Live map depicts spread of coronavirus
The new coronavirus has cost the lives of 132 people, while confirmed cases reach 6,000 across China. What is more, except from China, coronavirus cases have been reported in other countries in Asia, such as Malaysia and Japan, in Australia, Germany, France, the US and Canada.
In order to provide a clear picture of where the new virus has been detected, as well as the number of fatalities, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at John Hopkins, has created a live, interactive map,...
https://safety4sea.com/live-map-depicts-spread-of-coronavirus/
Australia Maritime Union urges for an immediate response against coronavirus
The Maritime Union of Australia recently reported a failure in implementing adequate checks for the coronavirus infections on vessels entering Australian ports. At the moment, six people reported to have been infected by the virus in Australia.
Our ports are a gateway to the country and not only provide access for freight but can provide an entry point for deadly disease and other biological security threats.
…said the Maritime Union of Australia National Secretary, Paddy Crumlin.
With Australian...
https://safety4sea.com/australia-maritime-union-urges-for-an-immediate-response-against-coronavirus/
What to know when travelling to and from Coronavirus-affected countries
The new coronavirus has cost the lives of 132 people, while the number of confirmed cases continue to rise every day. Of course, seafarers must be aware of this situation, and take the necessary proactive measures, in order to stay healthy. For this reason, Sailors’ Society published an infographic with all the necessary information to be protected from the new virus.
Coronavirus symptoms
For confirmed 2019-nCoV infections, reported illnesses have ranged from people being mildly sick to people...
https://safety4sea.com/what-to-know-when-travelling-to-and-from-coronavirus-affected-countries/
Seafarers more satisfied with connectivity at sea, but overall satisfaction falls
The Mission to Seafarers published the latest Seafarers Happiness Index report. The report reveals that seafarer happiness continues to fluctuate, marking improvements in connectivity at sea, but also showing concerns regarding workload among the issues raised by seafarers.
Specifically, in the latest report, overall seafarer happiness dropped to 6.13/10 from 6.59 the previous quarter. The data comes from over 2000 respondents, with surveys completed in the final quarter of 2019.
Across all...
Best practices beyond compliance
During the first SAFETY4SEA Forum in Manila, Mailyn Borillo, President, OSM, discussed the human element, sharing best practices beyond compliance, further underlining that life skills improve seafarer’s wellbeing, yet are the most neglected part of employees’ development. The main challenges of seafarers are challenges on family relationships; mental and physical sickness and further financial burdens, she stressed.
In my opinion, we are so fortunate that in our industry we have a lot of...
Crew wellbeing is the key to right service delivery
V. Group highlights the importance of wellbeing onboard, highlighting a healthy life onboard positively affects the customers, as seafarers will be happy conducting their work and the results will be positive.
Keeping in mind that the life oboard a vessel has challenges mentally and emotionally, as the crew stays away from home for a long time.
Therefore, the company announced that they will celebrate seafarers throughout the year, referring to ways that can improve their mental and physical...
https://safety4sea.com/crew-wellbeing-is-the-key-to-right-service-delivery/
Three tips to deal with obesity onboard
13 January 2020 marks the “National Obesity Awareness Week” in the UK, in efforts to raise awareness on the “overweight issue” that severely impacts the lives of people and most importantly those of seafarers’, as it poses a barrier for seafarers during their duty and heavily impacts their health. Although leading a healthy lifestyle onboard may be difficult, it is achievable through 3 tips; eating healthy, exercising and always staying hydrated.
In efforts of tackling obesity and weight issues...
https://safety4sea.com/cm-three-tips-to-deal-with-obesity-onboard/
Recommendations on dealing with crew suffering from back pain
The UK P&I Club launched recommendations on how to support crew that suffers from back pain, an impact which may be caused by day to day heavy lifting and shipboard activities. Back pain is a major cause of disability on a global scale, while it is also a common health problem experienced in the maritime workplace.
Accordingly, back pain can be mostly caused by prolonged sitting, lifting a heavy load, incorrect posture and muscle imbalance are just some of the causes.
The Club highlights that...
https://safety4sea.com/recommendations-on-dealing-with-crew-suffering-from-back-pain/