Boatyard Safety

[Fore and Aft]

Heart attacks are the most regular accident I see in boatyards. Usually right after the owner has been presented with his final bill!
Cheers

[rwidman]

it is a bit concerning that a person who will be in charge of boatyard safety is asking for advice on an Internet forum.

I think better information would come from OSHA and any state workplace safety agencies. Actual experience in boatyards would also be helpful.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Bellinghamster

I'm always amazed at the aftermath of toppled boats in a yard after a hurricane. Sure seems like de-masting, burying the keels, using cradles instead of jackstands, etc. in those regions could have prevented a lot of losses.

Cradles are not necessarily more stable than stands. Cradle width is in practice limited to 102" so that they can be hauled without special permits. The stands, used properly, form a much wider base.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by rwidman

it is a bit concerning that a person who will be in charge of boatyard safety is asking for advice on an Internet forum.

I think better information would come from OSHA and any state workplace safety agencies. [...]

I see that you haven't had many firsthand dealings with OSHA. They are focused on compliance, provision and use of PPE, equipment and tools from approved sources, first aid kit present and contents approved, guards and barriers in place, right to know notebook kept up to date, that sort of thing.


They are not a wellspring of knowledge on the etiology of accidents.

[slowlysailing]

Originally Posted by Jammer

I see that you haven't had many firsthand dealings with OSHA. They are focused on compliance, provision and use of PPE, equipment and tools from approved sources, first aid kit present and contents approved, guards and barriers in place, right to know notebook kept up to date, that sort of thing.


They are not a wellspring of knowledge on the etiology of accidents.

Took the words out my mouth.
These workplace fables (meaning a story with a lesson) though, are always valuable.

[skipperpete]

Here’s what it’s like in a country that has generous OHS regulation, here in Australia things are pretty tight and if you, either as an employer or an employee, go off the reservation regarding safety the consequences are awesome. I don’t know anything about workplace health and safety in the US but here in Oz a “safe working height” is any height from which a fall will not cause an injury and failure to wear PPE is one of the few things that can trigger immediate dismissal. ALL power leads must be tagged by a licensed sparky and RCD’s must be used on site
You, as a safety officer will have to learn the OSHA regs and then study the practices and likely danger areas in your own yard. You may well be responsible for contractors failures but I’m not sure about how boat owners doing own work fit into the OSHA scheme of things in US. Regarding “hot work” I’ve seen at least 5 destructive fires on boats being welded, it’s a really big deal when the interior insulation of a steel hulled vessel catches fire from something as simple as tacking on anodes.
You’ll also become the most unpopular guy in the yard, management hates spending money on safety, contractors will often only comply if you ban or threaten to ban them and your customers will really hate you for banning their contractor........ even if he’s this guy! How many violations can you spot in this screen shot?

[Kettlewell]

They are not a wellspring of knowledge on the etiology of accidents.

The #1 thing a boatyard can do to prevent accidents is pay and treat your most experienced and best employees well. In a boatyard experience is everything in getting the job done right in a timely manner and safely. There is no training or regulations that can substitute for having experienced staff that have the judgment to deal with a million different things that are not in any job description. Unfortunately, many boatyards treat and pay their employees poorly, leading to more accidents.

[Franziska]

Another risk is to dispose highly reactive resin&hardener mixes rests next to flammable objects when the reaction is not finished. Big fire risk due to exothermic heat.

Another one are linseed oil rags disposed off improperly and self inflaming.

[Alge Thomas]

Originally Posted by rwidman

it is a bit concerning that a person who will be in charge of boatyard safety is asking for advice on an Internet forum.

I think better information would come from OSHA and any state workplace safety agencies. Actual experience in boatyards would also be helpful.

Of course rwidman your'e right. I may not take the contract on if its out of my scope, but have spent a considerable amount of time in boatyards in my youth.


On the other hand, when I started in safety in the Steelworks 30 years ago, you pretty much had to learn on the job. Many of the principles are the same as in Construction and Engineering workshops.

[sailingharry]

Principles apply. The landscape changes, but you can adapt to it.
After 5 years of managing vertical/office construction when I was in the Navy, I went to a private sector firm and ran their construction management division. I'd never done P&L, and the firm's work was 100% water and wastewater (utility construction), which I knew nothing about. 6 months in, I asked my boss why he hired me when I knew nothing about water and wastewater. He replied, "you seemed to know something about construction." He must have been right, I seemed to have done well at that job.
So take everything you know about safety, and you will quickly learn how it applies in a boat yard. An eye that has been trained to notice people working aloft without fall protection, or people working under suspended loads, or fire hazards, or chemical hazards, or thinking "what if" will easily notice all of those things in an environment you've never worked in before.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Alge Thomas

Of course rwidman your'e right. I may not take the contract on if its out of my scope, but have spent a considerable amount of time in boatyards in my youth.


On the other hand, when I started in safety in the Steelworks 30 years ago, you pretty much had to learn on the job. Many of the principles are the same as in Construction and Engineering workshops.

OK, your experience in "safety" was not clear in your original post. If you have experience in the field, a boatyard will not be a lot different.

[OneBoatman]

#1 Make sure the yard's insurance policy remains active
#2 Keep your travel lift properly maintained and make sure your operator knows the underwater shape of the vessels he his hauling,
#3 Keep careful scrutiny on electrical usage of boats once on the hard.
#4 Have some discussions with the previous yard manager providing he or she is still alive and wasn't dismissed based on performance.

[betwys1]

Originally Posted by Alge Thomas

Hi to all..


I'm new here, and will soon be involved in managing safety in a boatyard. I have been wondering what the biggest cause of accidents is in the boating industry when boats are onshore?
I should imagine its falls from height, transport, lifting & stacking, chemicals, water safety etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Regards


Al Thomas

Here is Claude-2-100K's opinion:

Claude-2-100k
Claude-2-100k

Poe

There are a few potential major causes of work accidents in recreational boat yards from the perspective of an accident expert:

Lack of proper training and safety procedures - Workers may not receive adequate training on operating equipment safely or following proper protocols. This can lead to improper use of tools, failing to wear protective gear, etc.

Hazardous working conditions - Boatyards can present many hazards like slippery surfaces, heavy lifting, working at heights, hazardous materials, etc. Without proper precautions and controls, these conditions increase accident risks.

Poor equipment maintenance - Improperly maintained tools, machinery, ladders, scaffolds, etc. can lead to equipment failures and malfunctions that result in worker injuries. Regular inspection and maintenance is essential.

Complacency about safety - When proper safety practices are not enforced consistently, workers may become complacent and take shortcuts. Developing a strong safety culture is key to promoting safe behaviors.

Fatigue - The physical nature of boatyard work and working long hours can result in mental and physical fatigue. Fatigued workers are more prone to accidents due to reduced alertness and weakened response times.

Lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) - Workers need appropriate PPE like steel-toed boots, gloves, eye protection, hard hats, hearing protection, etc. Lack of proper PPE for tasks exposes workers to harm.

The expert would likely aim to identify the specific gaps in training, equipment, procedures, and culture at a boatyard that enable these kinds of accident precursors to persist. Addressing them through improved safety programs and policies can help reduce accidents.

[singlespeed]

Ladders used to access boats on stands. Liveaboards on the hard, with pets, struggle to get their pets off their boats while using the ladder. Saw two falls in one week in St. Martin.

Put liveaboard boats closest to the restrooms. I don't need to see or step in urine puddle of the guy who waited too long to get off his boat and stand on the rail and lets loose after dark because he doesn't want to haul that bucket of urine down a ladder. It definitely happens and it is disgusting.

Yards that permit DIY repairs seem to have the most accidents, after the boat is hauled and on the stands. We have all seen that owner who sands bottom paint without a respirator or dust collection, ignoring the dust they put on a neighboring boat. Add in those owners who want to change the position of a stand because they need to paint the area covered by the stand's pad, but can't wait for the yard employees to do it for them. Write a comprehensive list of allowable do's and don't's and make the boat owner acknowledge they have read and understood them prior to hauling out.

[wingssail]

Probably the workers have the most occurrences but if your yard allows DIY work and or living aboard while in the yard this should be looked at carefully. Serious accidents occur when going up and down ladders or falling off scaffolds. It is a good idea for the yard to make sure ladders and scaffolding is high quality and properly positioned. Supervise the people setting up boats prior to commencing work. Living aboard is really risky due to frequent traversing the ladders so this should be considered.

All of this being said, we should hope that DIY is permitted. It is hard enough for less economically blessed people to maintain their boats.