ITF – FATIGUE “CLEAR RISK”

[proud_ionian]

source: MGN

A new report commission by the International Transport Workers Federation from Cardiff University’s Centre for Occupational and Health Psychology has added to what the ITF calls “the worrying portrait of a maritime industry where fatigue is endangering crews, vessels and the environment”. The ITF said the report – Adequate Manning and Seafarers’ Fatigue: the International Perspective – reveals how far behind the industry is in tackling the problem.

Commenting on the research John Bainbridge, Assistant Secretary of the ITF’s Seafarers’ Section, said: “This report confirms what we already know. Seafarers are routinely working excessively long hours, endangering themselves and the marine environment. It’s time to stop putting seafarers at risk and to learn from the examples of best practice in other industries.”

The new report examines international findings and how other industries approach the problem. Among its main findings are that there is “overwhelming evidence” of the existence of maritime fatigue; yet the industry has been reluctant to invest resources into monitoring or preventing it. It notes that in civil aviation, for example, flight time is regulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Agreement, with a limit of between 70 and 100 hours of flight time allowed over a period of a month (times vary according to different countries’ rules), compared with the 98 working hours a week permitted by maritime regulation.

In spite of the long periods spent away from home and the “clear risks to the long term health of seafarers and the evident association between fatigue and accidents at sea”, scant progress has been made to regulate and enforce hours of work in the industry. The report also highlights the worrying phenomenon of false record keeping, where seafarers are bowing to pressures that undermine onboard safety and health.

The report calls for a holistic approach to maritime fatigue, encouraging the development of an onboard safety culture underpinned by realistic levels of manning, and a more robust approach to regulation.