HUMAN ELEMENT WINS SEA SAFETY AWARD

A consortium led by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has won a Safety at Sea International Awards for ‘The Human Element: a guide to human behaviour in the shipping industry’

This guide for the shipping industry was published in May 2010. It explains how human behaviour lies at the centre of both the profits and the losses of the shipping industry – and what companies can do about it.

The awards recognise innovations in maritime safety equipment, systems, training, management and security. The Human Element won its award for in the Management and Operations category.

Sir Alan Massey, who coincidently presented the award to Captain David Turner, head of the development project at the MCA said,

“I am delighted that the work of my Human Element team at MCA has been recognised and celebrated in this way.  They have worked very hard to analyse and then publicise very widely their findings on this critical aspect of maritime safety.

“More than 80% of all accidents at sea are attributed to the Human Element. The MCA team have raised global awareness of this phenomenon and given some very practical advice to ships' Captains and operators on how to mitigate the risks.  Their work has become a standard reference book for those seeking to improve safety in seafaring.”

Notes to Editors

  • The Guide was launched on 29 April 2010 and is available from The Stationary Office for £25. It is also available as a free download from the following link.
      http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-ds-ssh-human-element.htm

  • Based on a wide range of consultations with maritime organisations, the guide was produced by organisational psychologists, gs partnership ltd, for these consortium partners; The Maritime and Coastguard Agency, BP Shipping, Teekay Marine Services and the Standard P&I Club.

Popular posts from this blog

Label your kit at the coast

Image
Kayaks. Canoes. Paddleboards. What do they all have in common? They’re quite often found on the coastline or drifting out to sea. And if we don’t know who they belong to, we can spend time searching for an owner when they’re home safe and sound. So please help us to help you. Label your kit so that if you do get separated from it, and it turns up somewhere, we can get hold of you. In recent weeks, our Coastguard Rescue Teams have found numerous items such as kayaks and canoes drifting out at sea or abandoned near the shoreline. Unfortunately, some of the items we have found have not had their owners’ contact details written on them nor been reported as missing to the Coastguard. As a result, it makes it difficult for us to find out who it belongs to and also means we can never be completely sure if someone is safe or in the worst case, in trouble at sea. This can place a huge strain on our resources especially during the busy summer period when we have to call upon our Coastgua
Read more

A short history of HM Coastguard

Image
Today HM Coastguard is a world leader in maritime search and rescue. Looking back almost 200 years, the goods, which now travel by road, were carried by hundreds of small ships. Year in year out dozens of ships and hundreds of lives were lost within sight of the coast. Public shock and dismay at the tragedies drove forward the creation of national life saving organisations. Though it’s beginnings lie in those decades HM Coastguard originated not to meet the dangers of the seas but to combat a threat to the country’s economy and security – smuggling. As soon as medieval taxes were charged on imports and exports, people began smuggling. By 1743 th e estimate was that half the tea drunk in Britain was illegally imported and shows that smuggling was highly profitable. Smugglers have often been romanticised but the reality was brutal. Local people lived in fear, with violent reprisals on informers and the murder of revenue officers, while corruption enabled smugglers to evade harsh p
Read more

Emergency Radio Procedures: Does your fishing crew know what to do?

Image
DSC emergency radio procedures                                                              Picture: Planefocus Fitting a Digital Selective Calling radio on your vessel and knowing how to use it in an emergency could save your life.   If the worst were to happen at sea, using a DSC radio correctly can save vital time in getting those in trouble back to the shore.   Calling HM Coastguard with DSC in an emergency significantly helps in locating an incident and providing that help.      Most fixed VHF radios come with built-in DSC, meaning the Coastguard can be called easily and fast.   Assistant Chief Coastguard Matt Leat said:  “DSC means information is sent quickly and clearly so a rescue can begin right away. As well as having a registered personal locator beacon (PLB) per crew member on board, with DSC you’ll be assisting the Coastguard in locating you much faster.   “No one wants to be in an emergency situation and have to use DSC or a PLB, but that does not mean your vessel sho
Read more