Certified 海洋化学家s Help With Enclosed Space Safety (Re: The Maritime Executive)
新闻报道
Several of the articles that have appeared on The Maritime Executive have advocated for additional training, 意识和监管.
The call for training and regulation is not new to the maritime industry. In 1922 the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) drafted safety regulations and certificated the first 海洋化学家s to enforce them. In 1963, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) assumed responsibility from ABS and established new training requirements and a maritime confined-space standard.
晚些时候, in 1970, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) established safety standards for maritime employment. OSHA has several confined-space regulations based on industry requirements (maritime, construction and general industry standards to name to the biggest).
There are many other national and international organizations who have confined-space rules and regulations. These varying standards can make implementation of a program confusing.
There are many trainers and companies who teach confined-space safety, but they are not all applicable to shipyards or the maritime industry. 通常, when I board a vessel or go in a shipyard and speak to a confined-space person, 很明显,他们被错误地训练过. It is not uncommon that they are enforcing the wrong regulation.
The maritime industry has its own rules due to its unique nature and needs. 在训练, regulation and awareness are always part of the solution, other issues may hinder the successful implementation making a confined space safe.
Confined-space safety generally encompasses three distinct categories: oxygen deficiency, 火灾和爆炸危险, 以及对工人的毒性暴露.
These may seem like simple risks to mitigate, but they are actually complex safety issues. Today’s instrumentation for confined-space safety provides the user with a wealth of information, but interpreting and understanding the data is where the difficulty may begin.
I have worked with experts at environmental companies who obtain meter readings and provide interpretations, 然而,, 当我根据他们的结论向他们提问时, I realize that they haven’t properly interpreted the meter information and have incorrect conclusions. This is especially true with flammability and toxicity readings.
Understanding meter readings for flammability is much more complex than reading a meter. The application and understanding of toxicity values in the maritime industry often requires an expert.
In the maritime industry confined-space safety is a unique and constantly changing challenge. 这是注册海洋化学家关注的焦点, who undergo an extensive training and certification process to understand the unique challenges of shipbuilding, 船舶修理, 海上密闭空间的进入和检查. 海洋化学家s are subject to continuing education requirements, 监管, and mandatory training to keep the chemists up to date on maritime issues and the latest in instrumentation.
海洋化学家是一项可靠的投资. He or she is a professional who is familiar with the workings of shipyards and the needs of vessel owners and crews. 虽然在海上并不总是可用, 海洋化学家s can provide training to crew and staff on the hazards of confined spaces. Speaking with an individual who is familiar with the hazards the crew or staff may face during their work can lead to greater level of trust and make the individuals invest in their safety.
海洋化学家s are available to work on confined-space issues so others can understand and mitigate hazards for workers. Typically, crew members or shipyard personal are assigned to maintain confined-space safety. 他们会得到一个仪表和一些基本的训练. Usually, they only have a rudimentary understanding of what they are doing. 人事变动在这个行业很常见, 很多人来了又走, leaving behind their experience and making shipyards vulnerable.
海洋化学家就是解决方案. Shipyards and vessel owners should avail themselves to an expert to evaluate confined-space hazards. A Certified 海洋化学家 will bring an extensive understanding of ship structure, 毒性评价, 产品化学相互作用, 仪表使用及解释, 以及海事标准的应用.
他们还新葡京app提供第三方检查, which can offer owners and operators with a level of liability insulation. While the primary focus is always health and safety to workers and vessels, 海事工作总有商业的一面.
美国.S. 海岸警卫队和海军广泛使用海洋化学家, and many maritime inspectors request a 海洋化学家 inspection prior to confined-space entry. OSHA mandates an inspection by a Certified 海洋化学家 prior to certain work starting.
While NFPA-Certified 海洋化学家s are normally employed within the 50 states and U.S. 领土, they are frequently used throughout the world due to their unique training and understanding of maritime hazards.
海洋化学家并非美国所独有.S., although their training program through NFPA is considered the gold standard, 许多国家都有类似的项目. The industry should consider making the use of a Certified 海洋化学家 part of their confined-space safety program, 无论是培训还是检查. 随着行业变得越来越专业化, it may warrant bringing in an expert in maritime confined-space safety issues.
这是明智之举.
作者:Donald Raffo