Health & Safety

With the pandemic putting more people than ever on the water and consequent rise in boating accidents and fatalities, there’s some better news in the newly released 2021 U.S. Coast Guard Recreational Boating Safety Statistics.

The latest Coast Guard report shows double-digit declines year-over-year across the board in the main boating safety indicators: Boating accidents dropped 15.7%, injuries decreased 17.2%, and fatalities dropped 14.2%. The 2021 fatality rate decreased to 5.5 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels, a 15.4% reduction from 6.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2020. Continue reading “Coast Guard releases 2021 boating safety statistics”

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has issued advice and lessons learnt following injuries sustained by offshore crew working with stored energy in slings. By issuing this information, BSEE hopes to prevent similar incidents in the future.

There have been multiple instances across the Gulf of Mexico in which offshore personnel have sustained injuries to the face while working with slings. These incidents resulted from stored energy in the slings. Recent incidents include the following:
– December 2021: A contract roustabout slid a sling off a joint of drill pipe, which left a double loop in the sling. While unhooking the shackle Continue reading “Reported injuries due to stored energy in slings”

A set of amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the associated Codes enter into force on 1 January 2024. This statutory news from DNV highlights the changes that have been adopted for the 2024 update of SOLAS and its associated Codes.

The SOLAS Convention is regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships. Amendments to the technical provisions generally follow a four-year cycle of entry into force. This news highlights Continue reading “What’s new with SOLAS 2024?”

Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has released a report on yet another serious lifeboat-drill accident, illustrating the continuing hazards of this routine SOLAS safety exercise. A failure of a lifeboat launch system on a merchant vessel can result in a fall from height, ending in injuries or fatalities.

On December 1, 2020, the crew of the bulk carrier Blue Bosporus were carrying out a free-fall lifeboat drill at anchor in English Bay, British Columbia. After the four wire rope slings for lowering away the free-fall lifeboat were attached, the third mate and an AB went aboard the boat to conduct a test launch. Continue reading “Another serious lifeboat accident illustrates continued risk in drills”

The European maritime safety framework has evolved to become one of the most robust in the world. That’s according to the European Maritime Safety Report (EMSAFE), the first ever comprehensive overview of maritime safety in the European Union.

One of the key pillars of the EU safety framework is port state control, which results in over 14,000 vessel checks each year by inspectors in EU ports, complemented by legislative initiatives like the specific EU survey Continue reading “EMSA gives first factual analysis of maritime safety in the EU”