Shock Mitigation Directory

Man Overboard Experts Improve Safety For All

30.04.2018

High profile fast craft roles are evolving rapidly in UK, European and international waters.

Even without Brexit looming on the horizon, requirements and challenges are changing for many maritime organizations.

Traditional methods need to blend with the increasing use of technology BUT safety remains high on the agenda for professional mariners.

The NEXT GEN 2018 Man Overboard Prevention & Recovery Workshop brought together an international group of experts armed with the latest knowledge to identify problems that affect the maritime sector worldwide.

Over 80 maritime professionals attended this unique one day event focused on the sub IMO / sub 24 metre sector. The specialist Workshop highlighted that man overboard and death by drowning or exposure is still the prime risk for anyone that goes to sea.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) investigates incidents involving UK vessels worldwide and all vessels in UK territorial waters. Inevitably, the MAIB have man overboard (MOB) accidents to investigate, many from commercial fishing vessels, but the lessons from these extrapolate easily to the small commercial sector. The presentation by Captain Andrew Moll, Deputy Chief Inspector of the MAIB highlighted specific lessons learned from recent incidents that are relevant to all maritime sectors.

Time is critical when a person falls into the water, therefore the response must be rapid and effective. The course of action is particularly relevant to small boat operators with minimum crew numbers. Frankie Horne, Fishing Safety Manager at the RNLI, discussed how the organisation develops and refines safety interventions and targets behaviour change that can improve safety. This includes fundamentals such as wearing lifejackets that are suitable for manual work and adopting a means of Low Resource Man Overboard Recovery. Solo operators and two person crews need to consider how they can achieve rapid recovery of a person in the water without outside assistance.

Maritime medical solutions consultant, Paul Savage of Saviour Medical is Chairman of the UK Search and Rescue Medical Group which shapes the future and direction of UK SAR medicine. Drawing on nearly 30 years of search and rescue service with the RNLI and HM Coastguard, combined with the very latest medical research, he explained the detail of what actually happens to the human body’s physiology when immersed or submersed in cold water. His presentation titled ‘7 Ways To Die In Cold Water’ highlighted crucial factors that can help survival.

The principles of life saving equipment have not changed since before the days of the Titanic. Equipment is designed to either keep individuals or groups of people afloat, allow them to be located or saved. In history there was very little integration between these products however with the advent of more advanced location systems this has changed significantly in the last decade. Ocean Safety has a large portfolio of man overboard recovery products ranging from traditional life rings to electronic devices for commercial and military markets. They demonstrated that genuine lifesaving must start with the fundamental determination to save individuals lives and therefore the lifejacket is still the most important part of lifesaving equipment.

When a plane crash landed on the Hudson River in 2009 Jason's Cradle gave rescuers a quick and safe method for retrieval of conscious or unconscious casualties. Managing Director, Garth Matthews, explained the rapid deployment horizontal lifting system for MOB retrieval, ‘The standard cradle deployment of the Cradle forms a non-collapsible scoop. The casualty is guided into the Cradle head first, a strop and hauling lines are pulled to close the loop. A co-ordinated and methodical lift then takes place. The casualty is retrieved by rolling onto the deck in the medically preferred horizontal position’.

Heading from Wales to Ireland for the start of the 2013 Round Ireland Challenge, Andy Proudfoot, the solo occupant of the 5 metre RIB ‘Merlin’ was ejected into the water 18 miles off St Ann’s Head in the Irish Sea. Andy recalls, ‘I was running at 24 knots when I came to a fairly innocent looking crest that concealed a very deep trough. The boat snapped rapidly to starboard and dropped down. It took a fraction of a second but the sickening feeling of rolling out of the boat seemed to be happening in slow motion, until I impacted the water and disappeared under the surface. The initial impact and ingestion of water was extremely disorientating. I noticed the kill cord still attached to my leg, but couldn’t see the boat. I then saw it some 50 to 75 metres away.' The NEXT GEN Workshop group learned extraordinary survival lessons from the man overboard perspective as he faced hours alone in the water.

Karen Bosman, Maritime Operations Specialist with HM Coastguard expanded on how a man overboard can improve their chances of rescue. With many experienced mariners attending, the detailed presentation captured everyone’s attention. It focussed on the likelihood of finding a man overboard with no detection aids, describing the various searches that can be deployed with various search and rescue (SAR) assets. A range of detection aids were discussed and how to best utilise them, along with various communication devices including which work best from a SAR perspective. There was also an overview of how the HM Coastguard Mission Control Centre (MCC) works.

See 2018 MOB Feedback

In recent years less people are expected to do more work - and time is becoming scarce for everyone in the marine industry

NEXT GEN Workshops focus on ONE DAY sessions - designed to deliver a unique mix of information relevant to all sectors

NEXT GEN 2019 - 3 ONE DAY Workshops - Southampton - 2 3 4 April

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