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9 December 2006 - Seafarers Excessive Hours
a Significant Safety Risk
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A research report by the Centre for Occupational and Health Psychology at
Cardiff University, funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and
the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), has been
published and shows that due to the long excessive working time limits and
under-recording, seafarers are at risk of fatigue.
Fatigue within seafarers working environment is believed
to be due to several combined factors, such as port frequency, job support and
physical hazards.
Some of the recommendations to address the risk of
seafarers fatigue are as follows:
- To review the recording of working hours.
- Implement fatigue management training.
- Introduce information campaigns.
- Establish standard measures of fatigue within the
industry.
- Develop a multi-factor auditing tool.
Mary Martyn, MCA head of the Seafarer Health and Safety
Branch, said:
"This research confirms that fatigue at sea is a
complex problem. We support the report's conclusion that a co-operative approach
is needed, involving regulators, shipping companies and seafarers.
"Given the global nature of shipping, it is a problem
that needs to be addressed at national and international level."
The research report, in pdf format, can be accessed by
clicking the following:
Seafarer Fatigue: The Cardiff Research Programme
Further information can also be accessed from the HSE
webpage by clicking the following:
HSE Research Projects Directory
Article by Alexandra Johnston
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