Banishing Maritime Fatigue
- By Jerry Laws
- Dec 01, 2007
Because I’ve lamented regulatory paralysis
in Washington, D.C., on many
occasions, it’s a relief to cheer a federal
safety program that is winning over an
industry not by fiat, but by the power of a
great idea. The U.S. Coast Guard’s Crew
Endurance Management System (CEMS)
expects to have 2,000 trained coaches in
place by the end of this year and shows no
sign of slowing down. What CEMS does is
use our scientific knowledge of fatigue to
reduce risk factors and boost crew members’
endurance.
This requires changing the working
environment aboard ships in many ways,
such as light-proofing sleeping berths,
installing exercise equipment, improving
air filtration and air conditioning systems,
limiting noise, changing work and sleep
schedules, and adding healthy foods to the
menu. Every change is decided by the
company involved; they’re encouraged to
establish a Crew Endurance Working
Group that develops and implements a
Crew Endurance Plan. This is where the
coaches come in.
“Our goal is to have at least one coach
on each vessel—not just the international
vessels—because the coach plays such a
vital role in the proper implementation of
CEMS,” said Lt. Cmdr. Vivianne Louie,
program leader of CEMS. “Because
CEMS is a relatively new program, our primary
goals are to reach out to the different
sectors within the industry and to continue
providing guidance and direction for
proper program implementation.”
The program’s quarterly newsletters
track its fast growth. By January 2007, 110
companies were participating with at least
one trained coach apiece, with four companies
having at least 100 coaches. Louie said
many operators on inland rivers use CEMS
because of the American Waterways Operators’
strong support. “We’ve also gained
traction with the Gulf Coast, harbor operations,
and the coastal fleet,” she said. “We
are currently working with other organizations,
such as the Ship Operations Cooperative
Program, to develop marketing and
training tools to reach out to the ‘blue
water,’ or deep sea sector. We have also
slightly tailored the program to accommodate
commercial fishing vessel operators.”
You can read an excellent November
2006 study of fatigue among seafarers on
SOCP’s site. Written by Cardiff
University researchers, the study indicates
seamen with high levels of fatigue are more
likely to make frequent cognitive errors.
Forty-eight percent of the respondents in
the study said they believed their working
hours sometimes presented a danger to
their personal safety, while 37 percent said
their work hours sometimes placed their
ship’s safe operation in danger.
Fatigue is a clear and present danger in
many industries and occupations. By
changing the maritime industry’s approach,
CEMS is
showing the rest of us how to defeat it.
This article originally appeared in the December 2007 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
About the Author
Jerry Laws is Editor of Occupational Health & Safety magazine, which is owned by 1105 Media Inc.