Tag Archives: Man overboard drills
Home and Dry: Safety campaign to get fishing crews ‘Home and Dry’ following deaths in Brixham
A safety campaign has begun to reduce the ‘alarming’ number of deaths among fishing crews. It comes as more than 10% of fatalities in the fishing industry over the last decade have happened in the last six months. In the past six months, seven fishermen across the country, including two on a trawler from Brixham, have lost their lives at sea. Six of the men who died ended up in the water. Now the industry’s safety group is launching the Home and Dry campaign aims to help those on vessels stay safe by educating them on practices they can use to reduce risks. >Video, click to read< 08:12 Shetland fisherman’s death highlighted in new man overboard prevention campaign – The lives lost included Shetland fisherman Joseph Lacaste, 45, who died while working on the trawler Copious in February. >click to read<
Southwestern NS fishermen asked ‘Are you ready?’ as focus is put on safety heading into season
The Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Fisheries Sector Council have been busy in the weeks leading up to the opening of the lobster fishery delivering man overboard drills, safety equipment demonstrations and safety messages at wharfs throughout southwestern Nova Scotia as part of their ‘Are You Ready?’ program. “Attendance at these drills has been fantastic, even in smaller ports for 10 or less vessels we are still seeing all captains and crews show up,” said Matthew Duffy, safety advisor for the Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia. >click to read<10:53
Putting safety at sea first with man-overboard drills
With the start of the commercial lobster fishery on the south shore just days away, safety at sea messages are being delivered to local wharves by the Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia and industry partners through man overboard drills and demonstrations. “The overboard drills are done under the heading, Are you ready?” said Stewart Franck, executive director of the Fisheries Safety Association and a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP). “We want people to think as they are going through their vessels to check their safety gear, their safety equipment and safety supplies. Do a self-check on health and safety.” Make sure safety equipment such as life rings and overboard ladders are easily accessible and not entangled in rope or gear, advises Franck. “The first time you go to use it isn’t the time to find out that you can’t get at it,” he said. “You can waste valuable time getting to equipment.” Read the story here 09:29
Fishermen urged to be prepared and train for emergencies even before leaving the wharf
When you’ve got someone overboard in the water, that’s not the time to find out you’re not prepared to get them quickly and safely back on the boat. It’s for this reason fishermen are encouraged to be prepared before even leaving the wharf. And it’s for this reason that man overboard drills have been held in some fishing ports in advance of the upcoming LFA 34 lobster season off southwestern Nova Scotia. “We call it ‘Are you ready?’ because as people are getting their boats and their gear and all of their equipment ready, we want them to also make sure all of their safety equipment and training and their crew is ready as well,” says Stewart Franck of the Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia. “People need to be prepared in the event of an emergency.” Franck says PDFs are required to be worn and safety equipment needs to be on boats. Read the story here 11:18
Man overboard drills planned for local lobster fishermen
Lobster fishermen are starting a new season and the Fisheries Safety Association hopes they will start some new safety habits too. Stewart Franck, executive director of the association will be visiting local wharfs in the run up to the opening of LFAs 33 and 34 to talk to fishermen about safety. “We’re talking to a lot of people about PFDs,” he says. “But the PFDs are just a proxy to open dialogue on a whole bunch of stuff like emergency plans and drills and health and safety committees.” more@sou’wester 16:01
