Onboard Training – What YOU must know!

Following on from last week’s topic of inductions training is the next step to ensure you and your crew can handle onboard emergencies.

Onboard emergencies such as fires, person overboard, etc are what most owners, Master’s and crew members all believe won’t happen to them. That’s just wishful thinking on their part!

If you and/or your crew can not safely and efficiently deal with an onboard emergency because they have not had the appropriate initial and ongoing training you may have a major problem in the event of an incident.

Ongoing training is vital and here’s an example. Your crew did fire training today and did not undertake any fire training for 9 months then there was a fire onboard that caused serious burns to a crew member. Do you think that training schedule was appropriate?

The simple answer is NO!

Marine Order 504 (MO504 ) specifies that the owner of the vessel must ensure that the Master and crew, as soon as practicable after joining the vessel and before commencing duties receive the following:

1. safety training that familiarises the person with safety matters about the person’s presence and duties on board the vessel;
2. induction in and familiarisation with key vessel operations to establish, maintain and verify the competence and capacity of the person to safely carry out assigned duties;
3. training in emergency procedures to establish, maintain and verify the ability of the person to respond rapidly and effectively in an emergency and to follow the emergency plan.

For training to be effective it needs to be undertaken at regular intervals of no more than 3 months which is what we regard as the longest period between training (drills) in most circumstances.

Your training needs to be tailored to your vessel (or workplace) and be specific in its purpose and objectives.

Here’s an overview of Shorlink’s structured approach to running training (drills).

Briefing

1. Purpose: explain the objectives of the drill, the procedure to be followed and any safety precautions.
2. Content:
3. Overview of the drill scenario (e.g. person overboard, fire, etc.)
4. Review of the relevant equipment and procedures
5. Clear instructions and roles for each crew member (worker)
6. Communication protocols (verbal, radio, hand signals)
7. Safety checks and emergency procedures

Practical Exercise

1. Purpose: to allow crew members (workers) to practice the procedures and skills learned during the briefing.
2. Content: Any of the emergency procedures which include but are not limited to:

1. Fire drill – general
2. Fire drill – engine room
3. Fire drill – galley
4. Person overboard
5. Abandon ship
6. Any other scenarios

Debriefing

1. Purpose: to evaluate the effectiveness of the drill and identify areas for improvement.
2. Content:

1. Discussion of the drill’s execution and any issues that arose
2. Review of the procedures and safety protocols
3. Questions and answers
4. Reinforcement of the key safety messages

The above is how we approach training (drills) to ensure all crew members (workers) know, understand and can effectively deal with onboard emergencies.

While many simply just go through the motions to “tick a box” to say yes, we do drills they do not necessarily meet regulatory requirements either AMSA, WHS or both.

Regular training has helped many deal with an emergency situation. You as the owner or Master must ensure regular training (drills) are undertaken. Regular training creates muscle memory which means your crew will automatically know what to do in an emergency.

Recording your training (drills)

Doing the training is one thing but you must record it appropriately and in the right manner. An AMSA MSI may ask about your training, and you say yeah, it’s all up to date. You’ll then be asked to show your training records. If you cannot produce them then the training is deemed not to have taken place so…make sure you record all inductions and training. 

In SMS Manuals developed by Shorlink we include an emergency response training form, or you can purchase a Crew Training Logbook from our online store Log Books Archives – Free AU Delivery

Shorlink’s Recommendation

Our recommendation for new crew is to follow up on inductions with emergency response training (drills) before undertaking any commercial activities.

For existing crew members undertaking regular training monthly is recommended for potential serious emergencies such as fire, person overboard, etc. and no more than 3 monthly for other potential incidents.

Don’t forget to record all of your training sessions!

Tip

Best tip is if your not sure of your training schedule or requirements then contact us for advice or like we have for many owners/operators develop a training schedule based on your vessel and operations.