NGMW233

Individual / Organisation name:Garry Smith

What state/territory:

Review of the National Guidance Material for Working Safely on the Waterfront

Public Comment Response Form

Complete and submit this form by5pmAESTfriDAY 10 AUGUSt 2012to

Comments on content of the national guidance material
Section/page no. / Comment
Comments on additional issues identified in section 4.2 of the Discussion Paper
Section/page no. / Comment
Hatchmen / I have a lot to do with loading and unloading ships in my 40 years as a seafarer and I have come to the conclusion that hatchmen have a vital role in the safety of all personnel working in and around open hatches.
I have personally seen hatchmen save the lives of inattentive people walking under loads being either loaded or discharged from a ships hold. To my way of thinking it is no different than people working in confined spaces in machinery spaces ,factories etc and it is illegal not to have a "standby man" in these instances.
A hatchman can and is the last line of defence of people working under loads and is a vital communicator between the crane operator and all workers in the vicinity.
I have been a crane operator on offshore oil & gas facilities for the past 20 years and I would NEVER operate a crane without a dogman/lookout which is no different to a hatchman guarding against anything untoward in and around his workspace.
Finally, I strongly believe the " code of practice" should under ALL circumstances be preserved.
Stevedoring qualifications / Should the guidance material refer to the qualifications (Cert II, Cert III and Cert IV in Stevedoring) that have been developed for the stevedoring industry?
I believe it is totally necessary to have a highly trained and skilled workforce in the stevedoring industry. There have been far too many injuries and deaths on our wharves in recent years and of course the code SHOULD refer to these qualifications. One need only look at similar shore based industries both in Australia and overseas to see that it LAW to have a highly trained and skilled workforce.
Safety Induction skill-set / Should the newly developed stevedoring ‘safety skill-set’ be used to underpin safety inductions?
This needs only a short response. Of course new start workers need to have a thorough induction as do most newstarters in any industry these days. It irks me to think that ANY worker in ANY industry but in particular the stevedoring industry, that personel would be allowed under ANY circumstance to work around potentialy fatal machinery without a thorough induction and of course the code should reflect the necessity of said inductions.
Use of checklists / Should the safety checklists, which set out examples of the types of hazards, and acceptable/unacceptable ways of handling those hazards, be maintained in the guidance material?
I have worked in all facets of the seagoing side of the maritime industry and I would never consider starting work without a checklist to ensure the safety of myself or my fellow workers.
Comments on the implementation of the national guidance material in each jurisdiction which may have included launches, information and training sessions, and whether it has been useful in the workplace as a resource for improving safety practices.
Section/page no. / Comment
Other comments
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