Safety, Environmental, and Operational Procedures
Safety, Environmental, and Operational Procedures
Candidates must understand safety management systems (SMS), risk assessments, job safety analyses (JSA), and emergency procedures. Know personal protective equipment (PPE), man overboard (MOB) procedures, fire safety, and survival at sea. Be familiar with environmental regulations: MARPOL (pollution prevention), ballast water management, marine mammal protection, and sensitive habitat avoidance. Understand operational procedures: mobilization, demobilization, daily reporting, communication protocols, and weather monitoring. Also know fatigue management and crew safety.
Traps: Questions may test the hierarchy of controls (eliminate, substitute, engineer, administrate, PPE). Another trap is MARPOL annexes; know which annex covers oil (Annex I), noxious liquids (II), harmful substances (III), sewage (IV), garbage (V), and air pollution (VI). Be careful with environmental sensitivity; always check for protected areas and seasonal restrictions. Also, emergency drills must be conducted regularly.
Rule of thumb: Always conduct a risk assessment before any survey operation. Worked example: For a nearshore survey, identify hazards (e.g., traffic, weather, shallow water), assess risks, and implement controls (e.g., lookout, weather limits, depth alarms). Document the assessment and brief the crew. Follow MARPOL for waste disposal; never discharge plastics overboard.
Key terms: SMS, risk assessment, JSA, PPE, MOB, MARPOL, ballast water management, mobilization, demobilization, fatigue management.