In learning from everyday work, we need to first approach workers as human beings.Nippin Anand, a former Master Mariner, reminds us of the importance of understanding human needs before we can understand what’s working well. A few months ago, I visited a ship all excited to put my knowledge about ‘learning from what goes well’ …
Learning from what goes well: Another tactic to milk the cow? Read More »
“The greatest enemy of truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived, and dishonest – but the myth – persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.” – J.F. Kennedy “OK, stay safe, look after yourself and as you go down, be careful, don’t touch the handrails.” Those were the words of a ship manager whom I …
Should we hold the handrail? Risk and Safety in COVID times Read More »
When Costa Concordia sank, the Captain’s actions came under the spotlight. But what was the context of his decision to sail past Giglio island? Former Master Mariner Nippin Anand interviewed Captain Francesco Schettino and uncovered goal conflicts that are woven into the industry, and were not unique to that tragic day.
Let’s go back some 18 years in time. The local time was 03.10. I was standing my watch as a Second Officer on a large container vessel, bound for Irago Pilot Station in Japan in the next 90 minutes.
It’s 4PM and a container ship is getting ready to depart from port. The crew has had a long day going through an intensive safety audit with a company superintendent onboard. Now the mate is dealing with last minute cargo manifests. Cargo lashing is still not completed by the shore gangs. The engineers are waiting …
An able seaman has been ‘reprimanded’ for leaving the gangway hanging out while the vessel was shifting berth. Root cause – ‘lack of awareness’; corrective action – ‘risk assessment’. A third officer has been served a warning letter for missing out on monthly checks on a fire extinguisher resulting in non-conformance during a safety audit. …
The captain is fuming. “You know someone left a paper in the photocopier and the next thing it is reported as a near miss. Can you believe this?” he annoyingly asks. “We must report 5 near misses on monthly basis”, he adds. Reporting near misses will improve safety is an unquestioned belief in many companies. …
Near miss reporting: A (mis)leading indicator of safety? Read More »
Sir’, he said in a pale voice. ‘It was 59 degrees in the engine room that afternoon and I took my helmet off. Not for too long, sir, just a few minutes. I was standing under the blower to cool my head. And then this safety officer comes to me and starts shouting. “Why are …
Personal protective equipment: Managing safety or exercising control? Read More »
Introducing barriers has become a standard way of managing risk and safety – but it is not necessarily the best one On 6 March 1987, the passenger ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsized on departure from Zeebrugge, resulting in the death of 193 passengers and crew. It was considered one of the most severe accidents …
Questions about procedures, checklists, their adequacy and effectiveness are frustrating to many of us across industries. The popular belief – An accident happened because procedures were not followed. But could it also be that the procedures could not be followed? This is a theme that we explore in this article. When safety tools serve another …
Imaginary checklists and defensive procedures: When safety tools serve another purpose Read More »