Seafarer Vaccination Conundrum a 'Legal Minefield', ICS Says
supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shipping is poised to overtake aviation in the race to deliver vaccines around the world in the second half of 2021, in a distribution drive that is estimated to take four years. Shipping is also a vital method of transportation for accompanying personal protective equipment (PPE), whose estimated total volume will be six to seven times that of the vaccine and refrigeration systems.Seafarers are among the most internationalized workers in the world, crossing international borders multiple times during a contracted period, with up to 30 nationalities on board at
US FMC Commissioners Urge Vaccinations for Maritime Workers
were sent to the Governors of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, South Carolina, Texas and Washington following an earlier letter to the Biden administration encouraging the prioritization of maritime workers for access to vaccinations, personal protective equipment (PPE) and rapid testing."Because we continue to hear that access is insufficient, we write to you today to emphasize the importance of this issue," the FMC Commissioners wrote in the letter to Governors.Several U.S. ports, including the nation's largest in Los Angeles and Long
Genco Makes First Full Crew Change Under Singapore's New Rules
original contract timeline due to COVID-19.”(Photo: Genco)The protocols developed by Genco, the MPA and the Synergy Group established quarantine and repatriation procedures for seafarers to protect health and safety, taking into account factors such as testing, the availability of personal protective equipment, travel and logistical issues, and the safety of the local community.The protocols include that all arriving crew members were quarantined for 14 days prior to boarding the vessel, receive personal protective equipment kits, and were administered Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests prior
New Model Aims to Help Businesses Get Back to Work After COVID-19
will work with a client to document current risk controls for worker safety and make recommended mitigation controls for back-to-work scenarios and opening and closing of sites. Controls include prohibition of certain activities, decontamination and sanitization, social distancing, personal protective equipment, isolating symptomatic employees and managing third-party interactions.The model also includes an integrated dashboard that provides a visualization of risk levels at work sites. As conditions and guidance evolve, organizations can easily see where they need to adapt.“We have taken an
WMU Calls On Communities To Protect Seafarers’ Rights
and ocean communities to come together and join forces to protect seafarers’ rights. WMU urges them to stay vigilant and react promptly, to tackle the infringement of basic rights and to ensure access to necessities such as medical supplies, fuel, water, spare parts and provisions to ships. Protective equipment is as essential on board as it is ashore. National authorities and employers alike must ensure the strict implementation of appropriate occupational health promotion measures on board.The denial of access to shore-based medical facilities is especially disturbing in these challenging times
Training Tips for Ships: Tip #5
. Once we have this set up, the exam can be defined to always select a specific number of questions from each category to make all instances of the exam consistent.A Simple ExampleLet’s consider a PPE exam. For simplicity, let’s say the exam covers three competencies or knowledge: the protective equipment needed for firefighting, the equipment needed for welding, and knowledge of how to don basic protective equipment (clearly this is an incomplete exam, but is useful to illustrate). Let’s also say that we want to ask questions at two levels of difficulty to separate those who understand
Enclosed Space Safety to the Forefront in Maritime
of practical onboard exercises and three CBT components, including Enclosed Space Entry Awareness (CBT 285), and the two recently introduced modules on Gas measurement, a safe atmosphere and Gas measurement, measuring instruments (CBT 425 and 426). It focuses on enclosed space hazards and personal protective equipment, and highlights how to recognise the harmful effects of gas inhalation. Learners are also instructed in the use of portable gas measurement instruments and the dangerous gases that might be present in enclosed spaces on a ship. Christoffersen adds: “This onboard course targets
Report: Dire Conditions in Indian Shipbreaking Yards
, i.e. less than half of the workforce – the Alang shipbreaking yards do not benefit from the scheme. There is also a lack of educational facilities for the migrant workers’ children. The research team found that workers are not provided with adequate safety training and protective equipment such as masks, gloves and boots. Workers revealed that in most cases personal protective equipment was only distributed before audits and official visits, such as by the National Human Rights Commission. In addition to serious health and safety risks, the researchers documented
