December - Harley Marine Services, Inc.

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Safe, Responsible, Reliable, Efficient Page 4 Safety Incentive Program - Winning Articles Complacency By: Joe Miranda, Mate Tankerman, OTB It is a worthwhile goal to become competent and able to perform all our job duties. It is when we reach that goal, that we face another danger named complacency. Through repetition in our jobs we feel more comfortable and less challenged. Through awareness of this human tendency, we must not let ourselves turn on our personal autopilot. Three types of complacent behavior are: 1. Intentional - This is the person who knows there is risk involved with the activity but feels the benefit of poor behavior outweighs the risk. For example: I need a 12 ft ladder. It’s all the way on the other side of the barge. This one right here is an 8 ft step ladder. But I can still reach if I step in the top rung that is clearly marked “No Step” 2. Unintentional - This person just isn’t aware of the risks they are taking. This is due to either poor training or the person’s inattention during training. 3. Habitual - Like the intentional person this one is aware of the risks, but has been in involved in their duties or routine for so long that they have initiated their autopilot. Once our autopilot is switched on, we let ourselves get distracted by things we normally keep out of our mind while concentrating on work. For instance – electronic chart systems aboard tugs increase situational awareness, but by no means are they intended to replace the other tools we have at our disposal. I can see where some people can become very comfortable and therefore complacent when using electronic chart systems. As professionals we are expected to properly navigate using cross check and verification methods utilizing other navigational equipment available to us. This is why we must keep ourselves challenged. Question and verify everything we see with all the available tools. Observe the electronic chart and then take a range and bearing from the radar. Verify on the paper chart that your position is good. Still not satisfied? Plot it with GPS coordinates, etc. All this is valid while performing any duty. If you are complacent on deck you may overlook the unexpected obstacle or accident waiting to happen and be late in your reaction. That can be avoided by keeping yourself alert and aware of your situation. Plan ahead but keep your plan flexible; we all know that plans have a way of changing midway through execution. We need to be sure that we know the risks and how to avoid them. We should mentally and physically practice avoiding them. Let’s keep our eyes and mind on the task we are performing at all times. We will all come up against some form of complacency. You may notice a careless co-worker and should take the time to privately discuss your concern with that person. You may also notice an unsafe act and we are expected to take immediate action to prevent an accident from happening. It is up to us to find a way to keep our duties challenging and our jobs interesting. Proper Gloves By: Joe Hoats, Mate Tankerman, OTB Gloves are one of the most important and overlooked pieces of PPE crews use on board our tugs and barges. “Swede” wires, wire straps, grease, cold, and the ever present seagull matter are just a few of the many hazards we come across daily from which we are protected by gloves. Here are a few ideas for choosing proper gloves that may save your hands a lot of wear and tear. Wear gloves that fit properly. Loose or tight gloves adversely affect dexterity. Also, loose gloves pose a risk of being caught in turning things, such as capstans. Once, I had a glove a size too big pulled off and sucked into a capstan beneath the line. Not fun. Choose proper gloves for weather conditions. Insulated Atlas-type gloves are good for cold weather but, in our wet climate in the Pacific Northwest, they are often ineffective. Wearing fully coated latex gloves with removable cotton liners protects hands from both cold and wet. Also, wet liners can be replaced with warm, dry ones periodically. While Atlas type gloves are good for grip, the coating begins to deteriorate when exposed to solvent, i.e. Zep. Nitrile coated gloves are resistant to solvent but often the grip is not as good. There are many good gloves on the market for use in industrial settings. Choose wisely for safety and comfort. The most important thing regarding gloves is to wear them - always. It only takes one snag in a wire strap to cause an injury resulting in lost work hours and visits to the clinic. Be safe out there.
Safe, Responsible, Reliable, Efficient Page 5 Q – FACTOR By: Captain Richard Graham, Director HSQE Effective Safety Management Safety Departments throughout the maritime industry work tirelessly to define Effective Safety Management. There are many resources available to teach us how to become safer organizations in this industry. We spend numerous hours developing Safety Management Systems based upon various International and National standards and guidelines. In the USA, proposed regulation for the towing industry is finishing up the public comment period and after some revision will eventually become law. For those companies who are currently in compliance with AWO-RCP or the ISM Code, the hard work has been completed and continuous improvement refinement is the future. But what about those companies who operate without effective procedures, without risk management and hazard identification programs and without a safety management system to drive safety performance? Do we have sub-standard towing companies on the waterway? These are questions the USCG, AWO and individual towing companies have been trying to answer for many years. Depending upon your perspective and by comparison of safety performance throughout the industry, the perception of the general public is yes, there are sub-standard towing companies on the waterways. Accidents continue to happen in both well managed companies and poorly managed companies. The difference is well managed companies have effective Safety Management Systems that mitigate the risks to acceptable levels or eliminates that risk completely. The consequence associated with any accident is managed through pre-planned emergency procedures and by developing internal organizational processes to manage the risk before the accident becomes reality. At Harley Marine Services, all employees, managers, directors and executive management are working together to insure we have well trained crews working in well maintained equipment to provide “Safe, Responsible, Reliable and Efficient” transportation of petroleum fuels. We are expanding to new markets and building new equipment to the highest standards in order to provide the services our clients demand. Our crews actively and aggressively pursue the highest safety performance standard. We are entering a new age when regulation and perhaps litigation will now define how effective our safety management systems must perform. This is why Harley Marine Services supports the proposed regulations requiring Safety Management Systems throughout the towing industry as the best and most effective way to ensure our national waterways remain safe for transportation of petroleum products.
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December - Harley Marine Services, Inc.

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