Tag Archive for: Equipment

National Safe Boating Week. Increasing awareness of responsible boating practices!

, ,

National Safe Boating Week (NSBW) is a safety initiative of Australia New Zealand Safe Boating Education Group (ANZSBEG).

The aim of NSBW is to increase safer boating practices and promote responsible boat ownership for commercial and recreational use.

Whenever you are on the water everybody has a responsibility to ensure the safe operation of their boats and come home unharmed to their loved ones.

 NSBW for 2021 has three themes:

  1. Maintenance

Maintenance is a critical part of boat ownership and ALL vessel need regular maintenance, servicing and safety checks. Vessel breakdowns and equipment failures can and do put your life and the lives of everyone onboard at risk of serious injury and even death!

Make sure you keep your maintenance and servicing up to date at all times and…don’t forget to record both scheduled maintenance and any repairs and/or maintenance due to breakdowns or equipment failure.

  1. Safety Equipment

At all times you must be prepared for an emergency situation by having the correct safety equipment onboard and in service where required. As for your vessel, safety gear must be maintained and should at all times be stowed so as it’s easily accessible in an emergency.

Having safety equipment that is damaged and/or not in service puts everyone onboard in danger in the event of an emergency. Remember nobody schedules an emergency such as a fire, sinking or person falling overboard…they happen suddenly and usually in bad weather!

  1. Lifejackets

When emergency situations arise, there is rarely time to grab a lifejacket let alone put one on so it’s critical they are stowed in an easy to get at location because…if you need it you need it NOW!

Something we try to communicate during our training sessions is that a lifejacket only works when you are wearing it. If you find yourself in the water due to the loss of a vessel you’re more likely to survive if you are wearing a lifejacket.

October is also National Safe Work Month

In conjunction with Safe Work Australia, we ask that business owners, workers and employers across Australia commit to safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians. No job should be unsafe, and no death or injury is acceptable. A safe and healthy workplace benefits everyone.

Shorlink’s Recommendation

Today we have 3 recommendations…

  1. Ensure your maintenance is up to date at all times. Take the time now or before you go out to check over all motors, other machinery and associated equipment and…remember to record your checks and maintenance.
  2. Check all of your safety equipment including lifesaving appliances and firefighting equipment and do it NOW to ensure it’s ready to go when needed.
  3. Ensure your lifejackets are easily accessible and are in good condition. Make sure they are dry with no damage including broken straps or buckles with the whistle attached and the light is in date.

Tip

The best tip I can give you to ensure all of your safety equipment is easy to get to in an emergency. Lifejackets are no good if stowed in an area that access can easily be cut off and fire extinguishers that are stowed in a locker with other gear all around them escalates the potential for a major fire.

Take your life and the lives of all those onboard seriously and while we hope you will not need any of the safety gear but if you do you need it immediately so make sure you have easy access to all your safety gear.

Remember, if you need assistance or advice with your safety gear don’t hesitate to contact us by…

Email: sms@shorlink.com         Phone: 07 4242 1412     Web: www.shorlink.com

Electrical Safety

, , ,

Electrical safety onboard commercial vessels and in the workplace represents a major problem in many areas! Here’s one reason why…

Recently an electrician was fault-finding on his own in a control panel and attempted to remove a plastic cover to access control relays, he was wearing Class 0 rubber gloves which are insulating gloves for electrical protection.

The cover fell to the floor of the panel and he reached down to retrieve the cover. His glove caught on the sharp edges of exposed terminal lugs of the control transformer which punctured the rubber glove.

He received an electric shock through his wrist when the current arced between two exposed cable terminals through the puncture holes in the gloves.

He was able to remove himself from the panel and another worker drove him to a regional hospital where he has undergone multiple surgeries.

A report on the incident said there were a number of contributing factors:

  • the electrician was working near energised electrical equipment;
  • the electrician did not isolate or test before working on the equipment;
  • there was no protective shroud over the control transformer terminals;
  • the rubber insulating glove was punctured when pushed past sharp edges of the terminals;
  • inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE) was being used.

Shorlink’s Recommendation

Our key recommendations are:

  • ensure all electrical installations comply with relevant standards
  • ensure all persons working on electrical equipment or installations are aware of and comply with emergency procedures
  • ensure personnel qualified in first aid are available when working on electrical equipment or installations;
  • determine whether there is a requirement to work or fault find on or near the installation or equipment while energised.

If workers are required to work on or near energised electrical equipment, duty holders are to:

  • undertake a written risk assessment performed by a competent person
  • prepare a written safe work method statement
  • select and use suitable safety equipment and PPE

Tip

Ensure a competent safety observer is present when work is carried out on or near an energised electrical installation unless the risk assessment has determined no observer is required for the proposed work.

Remember water and electricity DO NOT mix!