 |
Safety Committees Meet in Houston
Angie Fay of Blessey Marine Services, Inc., Chair of the Interregion Safety Committee, and Jason Wisneski of Dann Marine Towing, LC, Chair of the Coastal Safety Committee, led over 200 safety professionals through the Safety Committees’ meeting in Houston October 9-10 – two days filled with learning and engagement opportunities designed to help members improve safety, security, and environmental protection and maintain regulatory compliance.
|
 |
AWO Subcommittee on Tankering and Barge Operations
Over 50 individuals gathered for the inaugural in-person meeting of the AWO Subcommittee on Tankering and Barge Operations, tasked with identifying safety issues affecting liquid tankermen and their dry cargo counterparts. The subcommittee discussed issues including deficient facility access and egress (such as unsecured or unattended ladders, gangways, insufficient handrails, inadequate lighting, and hazards associated with slips, trips and falls), ineffective communication with tankermen, and inconsistent procedure expectations, among others. Several members of the subcommittee later participated in a panel during the Safety Committees’ meeting, moderated by Fred Nyhuis of Marathon Petroleum Corporation, LP. The subcommittee plans to meet again in November and present its work at the Annual Meeting of the AWO Safety Committees in St. Louis in January.
|
 |
 |
Towing Vessel National Center of Expertise
CDR Andrew Bender of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Towing Vessel National Center of Expertise (TVNCOE) provided an overview of the Center’s responsibilities, offered an update on its initiatives and fielded questions about Coast Guard policy and guidance. He encouraged attendees to use TugSafe, the decision aid designed to generate a custom requirements checklist to help companies prepare for inspections or surveys of towing vessels, and TugSafe Central, the online hub for Subchapter M compliance requirements and guidance. CDR Bender also encouraged attendees to visit the TVNCOE website to access relevant safety alerts as well as guidance on exemptions, appeals and equivalences.
|
 |
TPO Panel
During a forum moderated by Matt Baker, Moran Towing Corporation, representatives of AWO-recognized Third Party Organizations shared the most common deficiencies and nonconformities they have encountered during RCP/TSMS audits and surveys. These included labeling issues, failure to complete navigation assessments, and not properly identifying issues related to obtaining a Permit to Proceed. Each TPO noted that it is still awaiting guidance from the USCG on certain issues and encouraged attendees to communicate with their respective OCMI. Panelists included Rob Keister, Sabine Surveyors, Ltd; Phil Carmichael, Decatur Marine Audit & Survey; Dennis Bryson, American Bureau of Shipping; and Tava Foret, Towing Vessel Inspection Bureau.
|
 |
Safety Leadership 3.0
AWO Director of Safety & Environmental Stewardship Brian S. Bailey provided an update on AWO’s safety portfolio and 2018 initiatives, reiterating AWO’s commitment to leading and supporting members in continuously improving safety, security and environmental stewardship. He led attendees in a review of the Safety Leadership 3.0 document, which explains AWO’s vision for leading and supporting its members in the post-Subchapter M safety era. Safety committee members provided feedback on the document and it was approved by the Board of Directors later that week. Mr. Bailey also updated members on RCP audits conducted in 2018 and highlighted the 2nd annual TPO Summit, held in July to discuss Subchapter M and RCP administration issues with AWO’s third-party audit partners. Stressing the importance of participation in the Safety Statistics Reporting Program, which is currently at 79%, Mr. Bailey also shared an overview of initial SSRP data collected from 2017 including vessel crew hours, crew fatalities, recordable injuries, lost-time injuries, falls overboard, and spill number and volume. The discussion concluded with a review of the recommendations of AWO’s Permanent Subcommittee on Operational Crew Fatalities.
|
 |
Safety Reward and Recognition Programs
Cody Sanders of Canal Barge Company, Inc. and Matt Stump of Andrie, Inc. spoke about the benefits and challenges of safety-related reward and recognition programs at their respective companies. They gave examples of how these programs have been utilized and discussed the evolution of technology for tracking progress and using the data for purposes such as evaluating an employee’s participation in the program post-incident, or for possible promotions. Mr. Sanders and Mr. Stump also discussed companies’ use of predictive analytics to improve the safety environment for their mariners.
|
 |
Stretching Program
Devon Carlock of Cottrell Contracting Corporation, who co-leads the Council for Dredging and Marine Construction Safety, demonstrated examples of his company’s stretching program to help employees prepare their bodies for everyday work stresses. If performed regularly and correctly, the stretches can strengthen specific muscles that are commonly associated with strains and sprains. (They also provided an enjoyable mid-meeting change of pace for Safety Committee members!)
|
 |
NFPA Certified Marine Chemist
Larry Russell of the National Fire Protection Association gave an insightful presentation on NFPA Certified Marine Chemists and NFPA 306, the Standard for the Control of Gas Hazards on Vessels. The U.S. Coast Guard and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration require that a certificate issued by a NFPA Marine Chemist be obtained before welding, cutting, burning, abrasive blasting, and other heat-producing operations that present risk of fire and/or explosion can be carried out in certain spaces aboard a marine vessel. Mr. Russell emphasized that proper atmospheric testing of marine confined and enclosed spaces saves lives.
|
 |
Near Miss Reporting
Dave Riches of Kirby Corporation and David Olson of Moran Towing Corporation shared their companies’ experiences with near miss reporting in a panel moderated by Mary McCarthy of Canal Barge Company, Inc. Both highlighted the value of having employees embrace transparency in sharing near misses, which are the best leading indicator of event potential. They explained that near miss examples are treasure troves of untapped learning opportunities and that companies should attempt to remove potential barriers to employee reporting such as fear of repercussions, complex submission processes and quotas.
|
Mark your calendars!
AWO’s Safety Leadership Advisory Panel is in the process of planning the 2019 Annual Safety Committees’ meeting in St. Louis, scheduled for January 23-24. Have ideas for presenters, presentations or topics you would like to see discussed at the meeting? Please email SafetyCommittees@americanwaterways.com.
|
| |
