|
|
Features
New look for Seaworthy
The
staff at the Directorate of Navy Safety Systems in Canberra
would like to welcome you all to the new and improved Seaworthy.
The glossy magazine that used to be known as Seaworthy has now
been decommissioned and replaced by a new, user-friendly format
as a regular feature in Navy News.
Articles published in Seaworthy will reflect real-life situations
facing Navy.
Personnel of all ranks and categories will read about topics
such as the general rules for entering a confined space, the
benefits of personnel protective equipment, the results of safety
surveys, summaries of information from the various safety manuals,
as well as articles of a general nature.
If you have a safety issue that you would like raised and believe
it should be published to the wider audience, or would like
to write an article for inclusion into Seaworthy, please send
them through to:
LSCSO Ben Porteous, CP4-6-032, Campbell Park, or e-mail benjamin.porteous@defence.gov.au
Passage
plan to safety
Awareness that everyone is accountable
At
the recent Navy Symposium, Director General Navy Safety, Certification
and Acceptance (DGNCSA) CAPT Mark Sander spoke of the RAN’s
“Journey in Safety”, highlighting that, as in every
journey upon which we embark, there is both a start and an end
point.
He equated the journey to something we are all more familiar
with and called it “A Passage Plan to Safety” with
the destination of “Keeping Navy Safe”.
As with any major evolution we would normally close up at “specials”
and carry out “pre-sea” checks across a whole range
of systems and manpower.
So what are these safety “pre-seas”? Initially we
will need a comprehensive safety management system.
A
successful safety system consists of five very simple building
blocks:
-
A
safety policy
-
Effective
planning to manage the identification/assessment and control
of risks;
-
An
implementation process;
-
A
performance measurement system;
-
A
system for management review.
So,
has the RAN completed the necessary preparations to enable us
to undertake this passage?
Yes,
our safety management system is known as NAVSAFE and is fully
described in ABR 6303 (NAVSAFE Manual, Navy Safety Management)
and details these very same building blocks.
The NAVSAFE program also identifies the various committees and
boards which, when they meet, focus purely on safety.
Is risk a factor to be taken into account for our passage plan?
Yes, of course, and we have our own risk management process
which is also described in ABR 6303.
However, the focus should be on being risk aware, not risk averse,
and reducing our risks to as low as reasonably practicable.
NAVSAFE is now relatively mature as a system but is there anything
missing? Yes, we still lack a consistent, all-embracing safety
culture that binds our system and us together.
Individual areas of the Navy such as aviation, diving and the
submarine community, possess a well-developed and effective
safety culture that is evident at all levels of management and
personnel.
However, this is not the case for the whole of Navy and the
recent safety culture survey has produced some thought provoking
and interesting results.
Safety
Culture Survey
Generally
it was thought that safety has a high priority now and has increased
significantly during the last two years. There is a greater
awareness of safety and that people accept that everyone is
accountable for safety.
About
80 per cent of the survey respondents believed that:
-
safety
is a high priority for management;
-
they
are encouraged to work in a manner that ensures safety of themselves
and others;
-
everyone
works towards improving safety;
-
they
are encouraged to identify and report hazards;
-
it
is their business if correct safety protocols are not followed
by others.
However,
another 40% thought that:
-
safety
is not rewarded or recognised;
-
the
level of risk in their job is a concern;
-
they
are not familiar with and do not understand the safety policy;
-
management
trade safety for operational deadlines and goals;
-
safety
procedures are not followed under tight deadlines;
-
not
all incidents and near misses are reported;
-
investigations
focus on finding someone to blame.
What
do we mean by an all-embracing safety culture?
A
safe culture is an informed culture where one knows where the
edge is without having to fall over it first.
It is one where we are preoccupied with the possibility of failure
and strive to become more resilient to operational hazards.
It is based on organisational values, guiding principles and
governing rules that must be lived by all, at all times. Above
all, they must be relevant to the business we are in.
Safety
Culture Survey Report
The
full report of the Safety Culture Survey can be found on the
RAN Safety Program website
(see elsewhere in Seaworthy for the appropriate links).
The results of the survey will form the basis of follow on work
at a variety of levels, all of which are designed to improve
the NAVSAFE program and achieve the aim of “Keeping Navy
Safe”.
TOP
What
are your safety needs?
 |
|
An
example of some of the signs that may be useful around
your workplace
|
DNAVSAFE
has a supply of various safety-related items available for distribution.
What’s available right now? We have posters on flying safety
and risk management, including the hazard risk index calculator
and the hierarchy of controls (these posters are A3 in size).
The Navy hazard risk index calculator also comes in a handy
pocket-sized format.
Meanwhile the NAVSAFE 03 conference marked the launch of two
new videos that have recently been distributed around our fleet:
the “Ship Safety Hazards” and “Keep Navy Safe”
videos both received good reviews from all personnel at the
conference.
Navy Safety Policy – Does your organisation hold a copy
of the policy signed by CN prior to August 28, 2002? If so you
can obtain the current version by contacting DNAVSAFE or downloading
an electronic version from the website.
ABR 6303 – Edition 3 of the NAVSAFE Manual is dated January
29, 2002 and is the only version to be used.
Once again, contact DNAVSAFE if you need a copy of edition three
and to ensure that you are placed on the distribution list for
all future issues.
Don’t forget if you require back issues of Seaworthy, we
still have some of these available.
If you have any ideas for posters or any specific requirements,
ie subject and size, contact us at:
DNAVSAFE, CP4-6-009, Campbell Park Offices,
Canberra, ACT, 2600.
TOP
Incidents
in the Fleet
A
contractor working within one of our establishments fell 2.4
metres onto a tiled floor. As the contractor was attempting
to descend from a roof cavity, through a manhole, the structure
around the manhole gave way.
The contractor’s sentry heard the loud crash and found
the contractor on the ground with the structure on top of his
body. It was assessed that the incorrect sized ladder had been
used to gain access to the roof cavity.
The
crew of a Minor War Vessel (MWV) had to take action as a Sydney
ferry severed the tether to their mine detection unit, which
was streamed to 160 yards.
Harbour control had made numerous broadcasts that evening warning
all harbour traffic of the geographical exclusion zone around
the MWV.
Ships’ companies try to mitigate all hazards they may face
but are aware of the hazardous training environment presented
by Sydney Harbour and are always open to risk.
Contractors
onboard a FCPB were conducting repair work to the hull using
an electric disk grinder.
Whilst cutting through the hull plate from below the hull, the
grinder kicked back and struck the operator in the neck/shoulder
region.
TOP
Dead
tired
By
LSCSO Ben Porteous
 |
|
Don’t
become another statistic on the roads during this holiday
period.
|
| |
 |
|
Even
minor accidents can have major consequences.
|
| |
It’s
a grim fact, but someone in the Defence Force will be involved
in a road accident over the Christmas holiday period. You
may not know this person, they might be sitting next to you,
it could even be you. Read on...
The cause of nearly a quarter of all deaths in the RAN from
1994-2002 was vehicle accidents, yet we are not made aware
of the causes of these accidents.
Millions of dollars are spent on advertising campaigns each
year. So how and why are our people still being killed and
injured in road accidents?
Fatigue
We
have all felt the effects during those long hours on watch:
the sore tired eyes, loss of concentration and drowsiness.
These are the same symptoms fatigued drivers face each minute
longer they stay on the road than necessary.
Driver fatigue can severely impair the driver’s judgment
and can affect anyone – yes, even you! It is particularly
dangerous because one of the symptoms is the decreased ability
to judge your own level of tiredness until it is potentially
too late.
Other symptoms vary between drivers, but may include yawning,
boredom, reduced reaction time, making fewer and larger steering
corrections and microsleeps.
Risk
management
We
have all used it at some stage in our lives. We know the probable
consequences of eating a dodgy satay stick, but don’t
seem to think what could happen if we speed or drive for six
hours straight.
Fatal crashes identifying fatigue as a factor are more likely
to occur during public and school holiday periods.
Public holidays comprise only a small proportion of the year,
yet account for 10 per cent of fatigue related fatal crashes.
It is evident we can’t teach people common sense behind
the wheel like not to speed, not to drink and drive, or not
to stop every two hours for a break.
Last year 570 people died on Australian roads and 22,000 were
seriously injured.
The Christmas/New Year road toll for 02/03 was 67. Did you
know any of them?
We cannot predict the actions of others but we can control
our own, so slow down, take breaks, have a merry Christmas,
but DON’T DRINK and DRIVE and return safe in the New
Year.
Don’t become another statistic.
TOP
Safe
working in confined spaces
By
Maurice Barnes
(Environmental Medicine Unit)
Are
you able to recognise a confined space, ascertain the hazards
and implement appropriate strategies for entry and rescue?
Are you aware of your responsibilities in relation to confined
spaces?
If the answer is no to any of the above then you should not
be involved in confined space operations.
In October 1985 an incident occurred aboard HMAS Stalwart,
at sea off Darwin. The stern gland compartment was flooded
with oily waste containing hydrogen sulphide (H2S), as a result
of an incorrect pumping procedure.
The crew was exposed to H2S, three men were killed and almost
60 injured. A number of recent incidents have highlighted
the importance of ensuring confined space entry is performed
safely by trained personnel using appropriate equipment and
procedures.
The ADF, like all organisations, must comply with OHS standards
set out by the Commonwealth. The National Standard (NOHSC
1009-1994) and AS 2865-2001 set out requirements to ensure
safety when working in confined spaces.
The Defence Safety Manual, SAFETYMAN, outlines Defence policy
and management responsibilities for working in confined spaces
and is fully compliant with the standards.
In the RAN, the procedure is detailed in ABR 5225, Vol 1 Chapter
6, (which is currently being updated to reflect the revised
content of AS 2865-2001).
What
is a confined space?
A
confined space, in relation to a workspace, means an enclosed
or partially enclosed space that is at atmospheric pressure
during occupancy and is not designed primarily as a place
of work; it could have restricted means of entry and exit
and, at any time, it is liable to:
A
person is considered to have entered a confined space when
a person’s head, ie the breathing zone, or upper body
is within the boundary of the confined space.
However, inserting an arm for the purpose of atmospheric testing
is not considered an entry to a confined space.
Why
are confined spaces dangerous?
Confined
space accidents are renowned for multiple fatalities with
the single greatest threat coming from the attempted recovery
of an injured worker.
Accidents that occur in a confined space may often be compounded
when the rescuer succumbs to the same fate as that of the
worker being rescued.
This is due to lack of preparation, with rescue procedures
often being implemented in an unplanned and unrehearsed manner
and carried out by untrained and ill-equipped persons.
The presence of atmospheric contaminants, which are often
colourless, tasteless and odourless represent a significant
hazard to confined space workers.
The atmosphere within a confined space must be monitored with
specialised monitoring equipment, which has been calibrated
by an approved calibration authority.
Deficient levels of oxygen to maintain consciousness and support
life are undetectable without the use of correctly calibrated
analysis equipment.
Restricted working space often leads to work being carried
out closer than desirable to electrical and mechanical risks.
...To be continued next Seaworthy (Feb
2004).
TOP
BZ
Locker
The
BZ Locker is devoted to acknowledging the hard work that is
going on in Fleet units, and our shore establishments in the
Safety arena.
The inclusion in the BZ Locker is recognition of a job well
done.
HMAS
Adelaide
The
Fire Protection Officer (FPO) was conducting a set of rounds
at the completion of work and identified that an oxy-acetylene
hose coiled on the forecastle was still charged.
Further investigation by the FPO found that the subcontractor
had failed to properly secure the bottle group or remove the
hoses, which were still fully charged.
Personnel, both civilian and commonwealth, conducting welding
operations need to ensure that equipment is properly secured
on completion of work.
Prevent this from happening by conducting a set of completion
of work rounds. They may seem tedious but it will reduce the
risk of such events escalating into major DC incidents.
TOP
youre kidding
|
You're
Kidding!
|
 |
|
Each
edition of Seaworthy will devote space to some
of the most unsafe acts caught on camera.
If you have a photo that is worthy of publishing in
this section, please send them in to DNAVSAFE.
This photo really needs no further explanation
|
|
*
|
|
Where’s
the website?
|
The
RAN Safety Program website is located on the Defence
Intranet site
(or DefWeb) and can be found in a number of ways.
Direct:
http://defweb.cbr.defence.gov.au
/navysyscom/navsafe/navsafe.htm
Via the Navy home page:
Navy home page, click on the picture and scroll down
to Intranet links and click on NAVSAFE.
Via the Systems Command website:
Navy home page, click on organisations, open up the
Australian Systems Command page, follow the links to
safety and certification and then RAN Safety Program.
|
| |
TOP
seaworthy credits
This
has been put together with the assistance of the Directorate
of Navy Safety Systems in Canberra.
Points
of contact are as follows:
|
DNAVSAFE
|
CMDR
Nick Youseman
|
(02)
6266 3017
|
|
ADNAVSAFE
|
LCDR
Jeff Short (RN)
|
(02)
6266 4112
|
|
SO
(OH&S)
|
WONPC
Dave Mallyon
|
(02)
6266 2427
|
|
SO
(RC)
|
Mrs
Jacqui Bryant
|
(02)
6266 2731
|
|
SO
(AAI)
|
Mr
Jeff Ballard
|
(02)
6266 3466
|
|
SO
(Comms)
|
POET
Dwain Wrankmore
|
(02)
6266 4016
|
|
LSSM-N
|
LSCSO
Ben Porteous
|
(02)
6266 3959
|
|
DNAVSAFE
CP4-6-009, Campbell Park, Canberra, ACT, 2600
|
TOP
Your
say...
If
you or your unit has any safety-related articles for publication
in future editions of Seaworthy, or have a safety issue you
want raised, send them to:
LS
Ben Porteous,
Campbell Park CP4-6-032,
or e-mail
benjamin.porteous@defence.gov.au
Click
here to be taken to part two of Seaworthy
|
|
|
.
|
|
