The Coast Guard issued Marine Safety Alert 01-17 to remind owners and operators of vessels of the importance of following established safety management system procedures.

Recently, while a bulk carrier was at anchor off the coast of Texas, a crewmember that could not swim was put over the rail in a Bosun’s Chair to paint the vessel’s mid-ship draft marks and load lines. Unfortunately, when his shipmates on deck commenced to haul him up, the Bosun’s Chair line parted and he fell into the water. He survived the fall and attempted to swim towards a life ring that had been thrown to him, but he ultimately submerged and was lost. Other crewmembers attempted to launch a rescue craft, but it failed to operate.

As a result of this casualty, the Coast Guard strongly reminds vessel owners and/or operators and all personnel onboard vessels everywhere to do the following:

• Properly use safety equipment
• Ensure adequate supervision of work teams
• Develop workplace mindsets that properly develop and execute plans, including those for worst-case scenarios
• Implement barriers to prevent such scenarios
• Fully implement and adhere to Safety Management System requirements

For additional details, please view the entire safety alert.

This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.