ABS, the American Club and Lamar University are launching a new initiative to reduce maritime safety incidents. The partnership’s analysis and industry guidance will focus on slips, trips and falls, which are a significant cause of maritime injuries.
According to the ABS Mariner Safety Research Initiative, the reasons that are causing slips, trips, and falls are situational awareness (40%) and poor housekeeping (29%). The American Club’s Senior Vice President William Moore emphasized the collaborative nature of the initiative, saying that the parties will provide recommendations for interventions in order to improve safety, and present guidance to marine owners and operators in understanding key causes, with the ultimate aim of implementing onboard strategies to mitigate these incidents.
“Our goal with this initiative is developing practical industry recommendations that can be applied to improve the day-to-day safety of maritime crews and staff,” said American Club’s Moore.
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Commenting for ABS, Manager of Human Factors, Dr. Kevin McSweeney mentioned:
Slips, trips and falls have received a lot of attention over the years but remain a leading cause of incidents aboard ship. This initiative will identify, prepare and share actionable safety-related guidance to help organizations better prioritize resources and measure progress to improve seafarer safety and health.
The recommendations that will be developed will have to able to be applied in a day-to-day basis by maritime crews, Mr. Moore added.
Lamar University Professor and Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering Brian Craig, stated:
Through the ABS/Lamar University Mariner Safety Research Initiative, we have a long history of providing solutions to help prevent maritime injuries. By collecting and analyzing injury and incident data we can identify lessons learned and corrective actions to aid in preventing the occurrence and reoccurrence of maritime injuries. We all believe that this partnership will help improve the welfare of the maritime industry’s most valuable asset; its seafarers.
