current status of shipyard competent person programs in louisiana and texas laura hartline weems...
TRANSCRIPT
Current Status of Shipyard Current Status of Shipyard Competent Person Programs in Competent Person Programs in Louisiana and TexasLouisiana and Texas
Laura Hartline WeemsLaura Hartline Weems
United States Coast GuardUnited States Coast Guard
Safety and Environmental Health Safety and Environmental Health OfficerOfficer
What do you think of when you What do you think of when you think of the South?think of the South?
Perhaps...Perhaps...
POPEYES
Fried
Chicken
Winn-Dixie Supermarket
Drive through Package Stores
Or maybe you think of the Or maybe you think of the boats...boats...
Objective of researchObjective of research
Evaluate Shipyard Competent Person programs and facility safety programs
Background- Marine InspectorsBackground- Marine Inspectors
Coast Guard has Marine Inspector program for commercial vessels
Inspectors often conduct inspections on vessels in shipyards
Principle hazard- confined space entry on vessels (fuel tanks, cargo tanks, voids)
Background- confined spacesBackground- confined spaces
Confined space entry is serious hazard• CG definition: Limited openings,
unfavorable ventilation, & not designed for continuous human occupancy
• Ships have many confined spaces • Ships also carry many hazardous
chemicals -cargoes, fuel, cleaners
Background- confined spacesBackground- confined spaces
Confined space are normally first verified as “Safe for Workers” by Marine Chemist
OSHA allows Shipyard Competent Person to recheck spaces to maintain MC Certificate
Safety is rarely their primary duty
Background- SCPsBackground- SCPs
OSHA only requires that SCPs know how to do their job, does not require formal training
SCPs are usually the new employees at a facility. Receive little training on instruments & recognizing hazardous conditions
There is no formal audit program in place to evaluate SCPs
Background- CG’s positionBackground- CG’s position
Coast Guard safety policies are more stringent than OSHA’s
OSHA’s regulations -29 CFR 1915-Safety standards for shipyard employment
OSHA allows for:• Oxygen 19.5% - 22.0%• 10% of Lower Explosive Limit• Toxic vapors/gasses < PEL
Background- CG’s positionBackground- CG’s position
Coast Guard Marine Safety Offices usually add more restrictions to CG safety policies
Policies for each MSO may differ Shipyards are expected to abide by all
policies when CG inspectors are at their facility
Background- Why District 8?Background- Why District 8?
Background- Why District 8?Background- Why District 8?
Total Marine Inspection Cases 1993-1998
D839%
Coast Guard61%
Background- Why District 8?Background- Why District 8?
Tank Ship Inspections 1993-1998
36%
64% District 8Other CG
Background- Why District 8?Background- Why District 8?
Tank Barge Inspections 1993-1998
34%
66%
District 8Other CG
Background continued
Examples of common shipyards in Examples of common shipyards in Louisiana and Texas...Louisiana and Texas...
Description of researchDescription of research
Survey tool was designed to gather info• shipyard competent persons• facilities policies and procedures
Planned visits to shipyards in Louisiana and Texas to conduct survey
Research MethodsResearch Methods
Questionnaire used to survey SCPs and facilities
3 main sections • Background Information (6 questions)• Basic Knowledge (15 questions)• Facility policies and procedures (17
questions)
Example QuestionsExample Questions
9. Define LEL (Lower Explosive Limit): _________________
16. What is the normal atmospheric level of oxygen? _______%
20. What does it mean to visually inspect a space? _____________
30. How often do you zero your instrument(s)? ______________
Research MethodsResearch Methods
Pilot administration in Rhode Island• 2 SCPs at 2 shipyards
Revisions made Over 3 weeks, visited 46 SCPs in 24
shipyards in New Orleans, Morgan City and Houston
Research MethodsResearch Methods
Port No. No.
SCPs Shipyards
New Orleans 22 10
Morgan City 17 9
Houston 7 5
Research ResultsResearch Results
35 of the questions had point values of 0-4 pts for total possible score of 140 pts.• Lowest: 55 pts• Highest: 125 pts• Mean: 95 pts
Very broad distribution of scores
Comparison of zone scoresComparison of zone scores
119
9488
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Morgan City New Orleans Houston
DISTRICT EIGHT ZONES
AV
ER
AG
E P
OIN
TS
(14
0 P
OS
SIB
LE
)
Project Results- DistributionProject Results- Distribution
The distribution of scores was determined. Surprising results:• 40% knew term Lower Explosive Limit• 30% knew term Adjacent Space• 75% knew what normal atmospheric level
of oxygen was• 65% knew what results constituted safe
oxygen levels and Lower Explosive Limits
Project Results- Summed ScoreProject Results- Summed Score
Tests were performed to compare scores between different groups of SCPs
Chose the 95% confidence interval as significant
Project Results- Summed ScoreProject Results- Summed Score
Not significant:• High school graduate vs. not a high school
graduate• More than 3 years on the job vs. less than 3
years Significant:
• NFPA 3-day course vs. other courses• Large (>200) shipyards vs. small (1-99) or
medium (100-199)
Project Results- Summed ScoreProject Results- Summed Score
Significant: • NFPA 3-day vs. Marine Chemist course
&/or in-house training programs Not significant:
• Marine Chemist course vs. in-house training
ConclusionsConclusions
Questionnaire is good survey tool SCPs & facilities are not up to regulatory
standards• Average score for basic knowledge: 70%• For facility practices and procedures: 75%
The Coast Guard should continue to set stringent safety guidelines for its personnel
ConclusionsConclusions
Inadequate evidence that CG inspectors can uniformly rely on SCPs & facilities
Training appears to have strong influence on SCP competency
Larger shipyards had better programs in place than the smaller ones
RecommendationsRecommendations
Surveys should be done of SCPs & facilities by CG units every 12-18 months
Coast Guard should make policies even more conservative to match needs of units
RecommendationsRecommendations
OSHA should require that SCPs be trained in a course similar to NFPA’s• “empowerment” education • 3 days versus 1 or 2 days• professional instructors
Biannual refresher training should also be required
With a little help, we can be like-
Thank you...
Any Questions?Any Questions?