Marine Log - December 2007 - (Page 23)

adopt the same safety orientation program and materials so that all workers, regardless of employer, will be on the same page when it comes to operating safely. Another step that the best shipyards are taking is to involve the workers themselves in identifying risks and creating solutions. One shipyard has even instituted a weekly meeting where all workers can bring forward ideas and vote on proposals for increasing productivity and safety. All work comes to a halt so the entire employee population can participate – a cost of about 1,000 manhours per week that the shipyard considers a smart investment in accident prevention. Shipyards that are most successful in reducing accidents often point to the high-level visibility of safety campaigns and the upfront management involvement in promoting safety. Workers who see their supervisors and the top bosses emphasizing safety repeatedly soon come to know that the concern for safety is real and not just routine talk. Incentives and rewards for safe performance are also seen by employees as proof that safety is a priority. Shipyards that stage contests find that many workers happily compete for rewards of money, clothing, food – or even simply top honors. THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN IMPROVING SAFETY Today’s shipyard shows many signs of the increasing use of technology to build ships with little waste of materials, time and effort. For example, computerized design capability and modular construction mean that both work and movement of supplies are far more precise. Ships used to be put together much as homes were built—create a plan, bring in the materials and then build the structure a stick at a time. Just as land-based building has changed, so has the world of shipbuilding. Today it is far more likely that a ship will be framed and then modular units will be brought in to be plugged into place. This more efficient approach to construction reduces risk for workers. In addition, with computerized design shipyards can tell exactly how much steel, pipe, fittings and even paint is needed to construct a ship, barge or oil rig. This reduces the extra supplies that used to clog a yard and require extraneous handling and greater exposure for loss and injury. Computers also determine how many required parts can be made from a single sheet of steel. Plasma cutters are then used to cut the pieces, performing so cleanly that very little edge grinding is needed. This is far different from when individuals with blow torches hand-cut pieces from chunks of steel and then removed the rough edges—work that could easily lead to injuries. FACTORS THAT THREATEN SAFETY At the same time risks are being mitigated, other factors are making the work more dangerous. For example, shipyards have found it challenging to hire all the skilled workers they need without turning to overseas sources. The polyglot of languages in the yard increases the chance that someone will misunderstand an order or be unaware of safety precautions. The need for multi-lingual supervisors and safety programs in languages other than English is growing. Even the heavy workload that ship- yards are facing can best be called a happy dilemma. A growing business always has a better chance of profitability—but rapid growth may lead to poor safety issue control. The high volume of work also creates pressure to cut corners and get to the finish line with each project so that the next job can begin. When people are working 24x7 to meet deadlines, essential safety factors like adequate employee downtime and proper equipment maintenance sometimes goes by the wayside—with disastrous effect. In the end, today’s innovations make for a safer workplace at the same time that today’s competitive demands increase the pressure that leads to greater risks. The best shipyard operators rise above the challenges, however, and put the highest priority on safe operations. They know that focusing on safety often translates to success in other areas that are critical to the bottom line. What we most often find is that the shipyards that are focused on producing quality work are the same ones that take safety seriously, create a work environment where employees have both high morale and top productivity, and are most successful at controlling risks. It’s a holistic approach that just happens to produce both the best ships and the best risk mitigation. ML *Kord Spielmann is the Technical Director of Risk Control for Travelers Ocean Marine. He has more than 30 years of experience creating risk management solutions and consulting ocean marine clients. Kord is a Certified Marine Surveyor with the National Association of Marine Surveyors. http://www.eagle.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Marine Log - December 2007

Marine Log - December 2007 Contents Editorial Second Thoughts Update Inside Washington Warning: Shipbuilding Over-Supply by 2011 Steely Resolve: Cutting Injuries What’s on Your Mind? Newsmakers Tech News Contracts Events InfoDirect Website Directory ML Marketplace Last Word

Marine Log - December 2007

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