Are you PPE ready?

Safety gear: Image source: istockphoto.com/Denys_Yelmanov

By Desiree Caira

Arming your crew with the right personal protective equipment is vital to keep them safe from harm while doing their job, in often hazardous conditions.

For workers at sea, personal protective equipment (PPE) isn’t simply a pair of rubber safety boots or a lifejacket in rough conditions.

PPE protects people from all kinds of hazards in maritime work—from man-overboard situations, to dangerous marine life, heavy moving objects, electrocution, and slippery decks. Possible hazards can often result from a number of unforeseen factors coming together.

It’s vital that vessel owners, as a part of their safety management system, identify all the possible risks to personal safety and implement ways of minimising or eliminating those risks.

You can minimise the risk of injury through work procedures, training and vessel maintenance— but part of the solution should also involve having the right PPE handy so that crew can access it readily during their work.

Commercial vessels are often required by law to carry specific equipment, including PPE items like life jackets. These items are contained in equipment lists for different types of operation, and are the minimum equipment required by law. Vessel owners and operators should carry out a risk assessment to identify what other equipment may be required, and make sure this safety gear is in top condition and staff know how and when it must be used.

Equipment can be replaced, lives can’t

Let’s say your trawler is involved in a hook-up situation requiring crew to activate the response to free tangled nets and prevent the vessel taking on water.

Wet conditions mean equipment is slippery so donning protective gauntlets before cutting equipment free such as trawl wires, is vital to keep limbs safe from injury.

During rough weather, clipping on a safety harness while on deck is a better option than ending up overboard—so ensure enough harnesses are within easy reach so crew are more likely to use them.

Installing appropriate signage to remind workers when and where PPE must be worn is the responsibility of owners and operators, in addition to providing clean, hygienic gear in good working order.

By making it compulsory for workers to wear PPE while carrying out selected tasks, vessel owners and masters are meeting their general safety duties. For example, wearing helmets to protect from overhead moving machinery or wearing sunscreen outdoors.

Learn more about equipment requirements on different types of commercial vessel. amsa.gov.au/equipmentlists

Information on building an effective safety management system for your operation amsa.gov.au/sms