Rafet Emek Kurt

Crew noise exposure on board ships and comparative study of applicable standards

In recent years, transport activities have radically increased due to globalisation, growth in wealth and freedom of movement. The shipping industry has responded to increased needs by providing flexible operations using new types of ships, equipped with novel technologies, materials and propulsion systems. Furthermore, services have been extended to new geographical areas including locations in and around populated cities. Naturally such services, in addition to the benefits, create various types of problems including noise pollution. This issue has been addressed at the European as well as the IMO (International Maritime Organization) level with the introduction of new/revised standards and limitations on noise. These statutory standards are also applicable to ships for the well-being of crew, commuters, as well as residents living around ship passageways and harbours. This paper focuses on the welfare and performance of seagoing crew working in various locations in the ships. Noise measurements carried out onboard six chemical tankers are presented and examined within the context of the IMO regulation A468 (XII) as well as the EU Directive 2003/10/EC concerning noise. After discussing the basic aspects of noise exposure, the paper investigates the differences between the EU and IMO standards and their effect on crew.

A Risk Assessment Tool For The Ship Recycling Industry

Ship recycling operations expose workers to a wide range of hazards that can cause a large number of incidents and accidents resulting in ill health, injuries and even death. In order to facilitate effective risk reduction within ship recycling yards, there is a need to develop an appropriate risk assessment method that is supportive and simple to use. In addition, the utilised method should involve end-user participation which is very important in assisting the realisation and acceptance of required health and safety measures. In this paper, a new bespoke risk assessment methodology for ship recycling, ‘The Three Step Risk Assessment Method for Ship Recycling’ (Three Step Method) will be presented which fulfils the criteria’s mentioned above. This paper will document the Three Step Method’s development and explain its various steps of implementation before introducing a case study and feedback of a practical application of the method. Finally, the conclusions that the Three Step Method provides a proven useful dialogue in the identification, assessment and mitigation of hazards and that the method can be easily implemented in the ship repair industry will be made.

Contribution of human factors to fishing vessel accidents and near misses in the UK

The research paper in hand presents a thorough exploration of the fishing vessel accidents and near misses in the UK fishing industry as well as the underlying human element factors and sub-factors contributing to them. In this respect, the regulatory regime in the fishing industry both at national and international level is initially examined while also complemented by the investigation of past research efforts to address these issues. Furthermore, the analysis of the fishing vessels accidents and near misses as recorded in the UK MAIB (Marine Accident Investigation Branch) database for a period of 19 years is performed in order to derive the causal factors leading to the fishing vessel accidents. It is initially shown that the fatalities and injuries taking place due to fishing vessels’ accidents have alarmingly remained unchanged over the last 15-20 years. Another key finding is that the number of accidents and near misses per day and night shifts is quite similar while most accidents take place in coastal waters. Furthermore, human factors are related to the vast majority of fishing vessels accidents with the principal ones referring to “non-compliance”, “equipment misuse or poorly designed”, “training” and “competence”. Finally, remedial measures are also suggested in order to address the main accident causes identified.