COLUMN | The American Waterways Operators and efforts aimed at reducing vessel accident rates [Tug Times]

When it comes to collating and publishing accident statistics for our industry, regular readers will know I consider the United States to be the best in the business. This opinion has been reinforced with the recent publication of a new study by the American Waterway Operators (AWO) entitled "Falls Overboard Prevention Report."

The report begins by pointing out the importance of the AWO members to the economy, and their impressive contribution to trade. The authors then state that the AWO has been working with the US Coast Guard to address the issue of crew fatalities since 1995, and the results have been impressive.

As an example, from 2004 to 2013, there were an average of 9.5 fatalities annually, whereas from 2014 to 2023, that number fell to 5.4 fatalities annually – still too many, but very much better.

The single most common cause of fatalities is falls overboard, so the AWO surveyed its members and analysed 118 incidents where this was a factor. They discovered that 68 per cent of cases happened on barges (which often do not have safety rails) and 66 per cent took place at night (pointing to the added dangers of reduced visibility and fatigue).

Fifty-two per cent involved deckhands, and almost half involved people with more than two years experience. Slip, trip and fall hazards were the primary causal factor in 84 per cent of incidents.

Having analysed the causes, the AWO set about addressing them using a modified hierarchy of controls, from eliminating hazards altogether down to ensuring the crew have adequate personal protective equipment.

All the steps are illustrated and described, and range from using interior walkways to keep crewmembers away from unguarded perimeters, to employing hands-free mooring systems and remote draught-reading devices, to installing guardrails and restraint systems, using non-slip coatings and providing better training on situational awareness, fatigue management and substance abuse.

“Preventing falls overboard means building safety into every aspect of vessel design, operation, and behaviour,” as the report correctly states. The authors urge their members to use the information in the report to develop a plan of action after identifying all the hazards that apply to them and deciding which mitigation measures are most appropriate.

This is an excellent report, and deserves to be read far beyond American shores and waterways. I suspect most of us could learn something, and in my case one of the things I learned was the existence of maritime safety wedges – devices that can be rapidly deployed to prevent barges grinding against each other, or against a sea wall, and thus might prevent an unfortunate crew member getting crushed if they fall into the gap.

Of course, there are improvements I would have liked to have seen. Respondents to the survey were asked to identify primary and contributing causal factors in the cases that were analysed, and there was a helpful checklist.

The most common primary cause identified was slip, trip or fall at 99 per cent with secondary causes including distraction, inattention or lack of situational awareness at 18 per cent.

Human error and inexperience were cited in some cases, as were complacency, illness and a wet deck among others. Quite a high percentage of respondents did not record any secondary causes. It would have been helpful to know how many cases involved crewmembers who were working alone, but this information was not included.

My main reservation, though, is that fatigue was not even on the list. Perhaps this was deliberate, since the respondents were members of an organisation that represents operating companies, and it is unlikely any of them would admit their crews were fatigued.

Nonetheless, given the findings of recent National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports we have discussed in previous columns, there is at least a possibility that fatigue was a significant contributing factor in many of these fatalities.

But since the NTSB turns a blind eye to manning levels, and the AWO appears to be doing the same, we may never know. If there is a company in the USA that is operating tugs with more than the required minimum number of crew, and ensuring their people have adequate rest, I would love to hear from them.

The photographs used to illustrate the covers of the report show a number of crewmembers going about their duties. Most are wearing some form of lifejacket, one or two are wearing safety helmets, and one has a harness with a restraining line attached to a rope along the centre line of the barge but no other safety equipment (I do not consider his wellington boots to be safety equipment).

They probably all meet the relevant safety regulations or the AWO would not have used the photographs, but some of them would not be allowed on deck in other countries.

This is nitpicking, of course, and should not detract from an excellent report, nor should it blind us to the fact that the AWO are contributing to a significant reduction in fatalities. Many other countries could learn from our American colleagues, and start publishing useful and comprehensive accident statistics.

Finally, I must mention some excellent short videos about tugs that are being released by Svitzer Australia under the title "Masters of the Port." The two videos I have seen are excellent advertisements for our business (although they have not included any female tug persons so far) and, if they were shown in schools would probably attract a horde of new entrants to the industry.

If only I were fifty or sixty years younger...