| I recently observed two shipmates performing
maintenance on retractable flight-deck nets while the ship was pierside.
Their work involved attaching lanyards to clips that keep the safety net
supports in place. First, neither Sailor was wearing a safety harness.
Second, a petty officer second class and the supervisor were holding the
belt loops of a petty officer third class, two-thirds of whose body was
under and outside the safety net on the ship's pier side.
I told the ship's OOD about the unsafe practices, and he immediately
stopped the work. When questioned, the three Sailors said they took the
safety shortcuts because--in their estimation--it would have taken too
long to get permission to work over the side and have to put on safety
harnesses, all for only 10 minutes of work. The OOD gave them some safety
refresher-training, and the three soon realized the dangers of working
outside the safety net without proper equipment and permission. Also, the
OOD's lecture emphasized the potentially deadly consequences of falling to
the pier--all because they didn't want to take the extra time to follow
safety procedures. Luckily, no one was injured in this situation.
Sailors must follow OpNavInst. 5100.19D (10, change one), NavOSH
Program Manual for Forces Afloat, and existing ship's instructions,
when working aloft or over the side. Instructions clearly spell out the
procedures, from which no one should deviate, even to save time.
In this situation, incorporating operational risk management into the
Sailors' planning would have kept them from not securing themselves with
safety harnesses and from risking a fall overboard. With ORM they would
have: Identified the hazard, Assessed the hazard, Made risk decisions,
Implemented controls, and Supervised their task for change and
effectiveness of the controls.
They should not have put themselves in this potentially
life-threatening situation just to save a couple of minutes. Had the
Sailor inside the safety net lost his grip, we could have lost a shipmate
that day. Why—because someone wanted to shave a couple of minutes from a
job? Would it have been worth losing or injuring a Sailor because someone
wanted to shave a couple of minutes from a job? That certainly isn't worth
a life! Taking procedural shortcuts also sets the wrong example for
younger Sailors. When they see a senior petty officer breaking safety
rules, they might think it's OK, if they can save time. They might get
away with it once, but who is to say someone else will be as lucky?
Do the right thing: get permission, and follow procedures! Your and
your shipmates' lives depend on it!
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