SUR Chief Technical Labor Inspector delivered a lecture to the officers

SUR Chief Technical Labor Inspector Evgeny Khizhnyak delivered just another lecture on labor protection issues for Captains and Chief Officers of ocean-going vessels at the Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy. According to the requirement of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), all officers should be tested of knowledge, including labor safety, every five years. As part of the implementation of that requirement, Evgeny Khizhnyak familiarize Captains and Chief Officers with the latest changes in the field of national and international documents regulating the safe work of vessel's crews. The SUR Chief Technical Labor Inspector dwelt upon the role of Captains and Chief Officers in the procedure of investigation accidents involving seafarers during their work on board a vessel. Literally, step by step, he told about all the actions that should be taken in case of minor or severe, or fatal accidents: it is the competent execution of primary documents on board the vessel that plays an important role in the investigation of such situations. In addition, Evgeny Khizhnyak noted that investigations need to be carried out without prejudice to the interests of an injured seafarer or family members of a deceased seafarer, management of the vessel and the company, focusing on the design deficiencies of the vessel, severe weather conditions and fatigue. Indeed, the fatigue of a crew member can affect the safety of navigation and threaten the life and health of other crew members. “In January of this year, a Russian seafarer died during cargo operations on board a Panama-flagged reefer vessel at the anchorage of one of the New Zealand ports” - Khizhnyak said as an example. — The incident occurred during the loading of fish products from a tuna trawler. The Chief Engineer, not involved in cargo operations, began, on his own initiative, to lift an empty net from the hold using the cargo winch. During the lifting process, the cargo net caught on the insulating hold lining and tore out a piece of it, which fell down and hit the seaman in the hold on the head. Arrived on board doctors declared the seaman dead.” The SUR Chief Technical Labor Inspector believes that the cause of the tragedy was the fatigue of the Chief Engineer and inadequate arrangements of safe cargo operations on board the ship. By the way, at the time of the incident, the Chief Engineer had been on the voyage for more than 8 months. At the end of the meeting, Evgeny Khizhnyak answered all the seafarers' questions in detail and left them his contact details so that they could apply to him in the future. He added that such lectures not only give Captains and Chief Officers the cherished certificate of completion of training and labor safety knowledge testing, but also help them to stay abreast of the latest changes in regulations concerning the safety work of crew, which will reduce the risk of injury on board a vessel. Photo – FETO SUR