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NAVY ENGINEERING BULLETIN MARCH 2003 51 ERUS (Engineering Ready-Use Stuff!) News, Views and Issues concerning Marine Technicians WOMT MARK RICHARDSON MT CATEGORY SPONSOR Welcome to the first of what will become a regular feature of the Navy Engineering Bulletin, presenting and discussing current issues affecting the MT Category. The MT Category is currently on the threshold of some major changes which will radically alter the way we do business. Your operator qualifications and their application at sea have been critically reviewed and revised to align with today’s technology and the needs of a modern, minimum manned Navy. CAPT Craig Kerr, the outgoing Director of Navy Professional Requirements, has discussed some of the reasons and history behind these changes in his articles “Why is the Workforce Upside Down” (Navy Engineering Bulletin Feb 2002 Edition) and “Turning Things Around” (Article 14 of this edition). This article aims to provide details of the proposed changes; discuss how they will affect you, the technician; and introduce the principles of the transition arrangements to the new watchkeeping qualifications. What about these watchkeeping changes? Many of you will have been introduced to the proposed changes to watchkeeping practices and operator qualifications at the DNPR(E&L) Roadshows presented around the country during October and November 2002. Furthermore, some of you will already be involved in trialing some aspects of the new way of doing business, especially if you’re currently serving in HMAS ANZAC or in one of the FFG’s selected to undertake the trials in the last quarter of 2002. Basically, the changes you can expect can be divided into two main categories: a. Changes to Watchkeeping Procedures, incorporating: reduced manual data recording; reduced frequency but increased complexity of machinery rounds; reduced engineering watch manning and an increased watch rotation routine (i.e. a shift to one-in-four or greater watch rotation in place of the old one-in-three routine), and b. Changes to operator qualifications, incorporating disbandment of the MWC and ERWC and the introduction of four new qualifications: i. The Engineering Harbour Watchkeeping Certificate (EHWC); ii. iii. iv. The Marine Systems Technician Watchkeeping position (MST); The Marine Systems Controller Qualification (MSC); and, The Marine Systems Manager Qualification (MSM). Procedural Changes. The changes to watchkeeping practices have evolved from a number of influences, in particular a requirement to release more technical manpower resources to undertake Organisational Level and Corrective Maintenance (OLM and CM). They are also greatly influenced by the results of recent attitude and retention surveys, where task mundanity and the duplication of effort created by watchkeeping on fully monitored, automated equipment, have been identified as major causes of job dissatisfaction and the decision to separate from the Navy. A critical review of on-watch data recording in the FFG class revealed that, of all the readings taken and manually recorded by watchkeepers doing rounds, only a handful were actually critical to the operation of the plant that weren’t duplicated elsewhere by automatic monitoring. In some FFG, only 17 readings are now being recorded manually per watch instead of the previous 240. Coupled with this is a reduction in the frequency of machinery rounds. COMAUSNAVSYSCOM HBC/HBE 072356Z NOV 02, authorised
52 NAVY ENGINEERING BULLETIN MARCH 2003 CSO-E to allow Ships to reduce rounds of Machinery Spaces containing running machinery, from hourly, to a minimum of once per four hour watch. This provides watchkeepers with the necessary time to conduct a more comprehensive set of machinery rounds. Having more time ‘in front of the machinery’, allows watchkeepers to apply more critical engineering judgement when evaluating the operating state of the systems in their charge. This in turn leads to the early identification of defects and provides the opportunity to rectify these on watch. Feedback from the Ships trialing these new practices has so far been positive. Listed below are comments from minutes and e- mails by Ship’s Engineer Officers reporting on the results of the trials, recounting some of the benefits and advantages of the new routines: a. a marked increase in the number of reported defects; b. an increased ability for watchkeepers to address defects on watch, reducing the burden on dayworkers; c. improved training opportunities for junior watchkeepers, and more effective training due to the ability to progress system tracing on watch and be mentored by more senior personnel; d. enhanced time management due to the removal of the constant requirement to interrupt tasks in order to undertake rounds; e. one single set of diligent rounds provides the EOOW with a better understanding of the true state of the plant than the previous four cursory sets of rounds; f. greatly increased opportunity to progress OLM and undertake cleaning on watch, and g. No machinery breakdowns occurred which could be attributed to the reduced conduct of rounds. In fact it may be that the opposite is true, that due to the greater vigilance exercised in the single set of rounds, defects which previously may have gone unnoticed were identified and corrected before they became major problems. Indications are that the new routines, incorporating reduced data recording and reduced rounds frequency, are overwhelmingly supported by the MT sailors involved in the trials. It is generally considered that they remove the mundane and monotonous aspects of watchkeeping, replacing them with opportunities to exercise and hone core technical skills in diagnosing and rectifying defects, as well as providing increased training opportunities and enhancing training quality. The demarcation between dayworker and watchkeeper has been significantly reduced, with watchkeeping becoming a favoured role. Following on from the success of these trials will be a move towards a one-in-four or greater watch rotation, enabled by a reduction in the numbers of engineering personnel actually on watch. This initiative is closely linked to the introduction of the new operator qualifications, which re-define the roles of on watch engineering personnel. An example of the proposed future FFG and ANZAC engineering watch composition is tabled below: CLASS CRUISING DEFENCE ACTION SPECIAL SEA HARB. W/K HARB. W/K HARB. W/K STATIONS STATIONS STATIONS DUTYMEN 4hrs NFS >4hrs NFS Limited Shore Full Shore Services Services ANZAC MSM on call MSM on call MSM closed up 1xMSC 1xMSC No Change 1 x MSC Cruising HWC HWC Watch personnel personnel 1xMST 1xMST 1 x MST MSC Onboard MSC on pager/phone Trainees A/R Trainees A/R Trainees A/R Trainees as Trainees as required required FFG MSM on call MSM on Call MSM closed up (FOUR 1xMSC 1xMSC 1xMSC HWC HWC WATCHES) personnel personnel 1xMST 1xEPCCO No Change 1xEPCCO Cruising MSC Onboard MSC on on call Watch pager Trainees A/R 1xMST 1xMST Trainees A/R Trainees A/R Trainees A/R Trainees A/R
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