COLUMN SAFETYMaking Stop Work Authority Work By (Captain) Katharine Sweeney, CEO, Compliance MaritimeIt is one thing to have a policy posted. It damage would have been mitigated?is another to review and explain such a For example, sea stories are one way to start the ball roll-policy to a new crew during their orien- ing. As a third mate, I participated in a rescue of a life raft tation or when they ? rst sign on a vessel. full of crew members forced to abandon their overladen log And, ? nally, it is still another to claim the ship in a storm. Long before the days of SARTS (Search policy has been effectively implemented. and Rescue Transponders), we arrived at the scene at dusk. Like looking for a needle in a haystack, ? nding the life raft D S W A at the scene was very dif? cult; however, once dark enough, EFINING TOP ORK UTHORITYA number of recent maritime incidents have led to ‘Stop we saw a strobe light. The strobe was coming from the Work Authority’ (SWA) becoming a federally mandated part EPIRB (Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacon) of a safety management system (SMS) for vessels operating in tethered to the life raft, but ? oating outside it. Following certain areas and industries. Other sectors, while not feder- the rescue, the ship’s captain informed us that the chief ally mandated with respect to this requirement, adopted and cook (probably the lowest person on the totem pole) had implemented SWA years ago, on their own. SWA, far from a absolutely insisted that the EPIRB be placed outside of the new concept, is one that recognizes the importance attached life raft. It was this chief cook’s insistence and the captain’s to encouraging any employee on board a vessel (whether li- willingness to follow his advice that had saved the crew.censed, unlicensed, veteran, or greenhorn) to speak up and What empowered the Filipino cook to challenge the express concern should they fail to understand any operation Japanese captain? I understand there are no atheists in fox-being undertaken, feel any operation or sailing condition un- holes, and I don’t think there are any in deployed life rafts safe, or believe any operation is being undertaken incorrectly. or lifeboats as well. “Operation” is not de? ned speci? cally. Rather, an “opera- Practice your “All Stop.” Consider adding it to the list tion” encompasses any part of a company’s or vessel’s commer- of (rotating) topics for ? re and boat drills. Incorporate it cial or sailing activities. SWA, in effect, places authority and re- by having it set up in advance. See who will stop the op-sponsibly directly on each and every member of a vessel’s crew. eration; or have the person contemplating the unsafe act Bridge Resource Management (BRM) is a work concept stop him or herself and explain why as part of the drill. which originated in the airline industry during the early Then review this in ‘the debrief’ after the drill is completed, 1970’s, embodying the idea of the vessel being navigated as even acknowledging it was all a “set up” to determine who a team. Although one individual has the ‘Conn’ on the ves- would or would not stop the unsafe action. sel, the team supports this person through managing the A successfully implemented “All Stop” can also be dem-workload and providing the conning of? cer with pertinent onstrated during a tool box meeting or a Job Safety/Job information, but also through the ability – the responsibil- Hazard Analysis. Imminent danger is not a requirement for ity, actually – to raise questions concerning the actions (or “All Stop” to be practiced. Similarly, “Near Miss” or “Near inactions) of the conning of? cer. Loss” reports should be part of any effective management system. Sharing these with your ? eet of vessels is an excel-I SWA lent means of introducing the topic and to start crew mem-MPLEMENTINGImplementation rarely occurs within a vacuum. For ei- bers talking. It also makes your ? eet a ? eet, not just a series ther BRM or SWA to work, encouragement of the “team of vessels ? oating independently, like little islands.approach”—one involving no fear of reproach or repercus- Consider doing the same with “All Stop.” Have vessels’ sion—must be effectively communicated to all involved. crews report when “All Stop” has been used and why. Prime Merely posting the policy on a bulkhead does not consti- the pump and send out a few to get the conversation and tute its effective implementation. Rather, the concept must thought patterns going. Utilizing “All Stop” as another tool be actively encouraged through active practice, if not drills. in your safety management system can reduce your compa-A good starting point might be recalling an accident ny’s exposure to accidents, incidents, and injuries as well as or incident where someone could have spoken up and empower your crew members with the authority and the re-stopped an operation when it was clear to him or her that sponsibly for their safety as well as the safety of others. Post-things were unfolding adversely. Think of what it would ing company policies aboard a vessel are indications that a have looked like if someone had stopped the operation. company does, in fact, have such a policy. But implement-At what points could they have stopped it and how much ing these policies, again, does not happen in a vacuum. 20MN December 2014MN Dec14 Layout 18-31.indd 20 MN Dec14 Layout 18-31.indd 20 11/25/2014 10:13:38 AM11/25/2014 10:13:38 AM