A Tool to Assist with Slip and Fall Prevention

In 2018, the American Club, Lamar University and ABS looked at 12,000 shipboard injury records as part of an initiative to reduce accidents caused by unsafe conditions aboard vessels. Here’s a snapshot of what they found: 

● The total cost for injury-related claims for one decade was almost $250 million. 

● Falls accounted for 22 percent of all incidents.

● Slips represented 12 percent of incidents.

As reported in The Maritime Executive these findings proved that “the maritime industry should adopt more comprehensive reporting requirements for injury and near miss reporting.” 

Simply said, we don’t know enough about injuries out at sea. 

Monitor Slip and Fall Incidents 

While there are several factors that contribute to reducing accidents on board, a priceless asset is to be able to capture and record incidents on video, transmit live streaming video and still images triggered by events and retrieve the onboard recorded video from ashore, from the actual vessel. Select technology allows boat owners to cost effectively monitor incidents from around the world securely and in real-time using a proprietary software and 256-bit AES encryption to protect the company's privacy. 

In the unfortunate event that a crew member gets injured while aboard a vessel, images or recorded video can be retrieved by the Health, Safety and Security representative immediately, at any time, for a thorough review without requiring the vessel to return to port. Immediate access to this information after an event allows for a more informed decision potentially mitigating the danger and reducing company liability.

This footage can also be used for more accurate reporting and training in order to avoid similar situations in the future.

Research from the injury study revealed that the average cost per incident, including slips and falls, exceeds $65,000. That’s per incident. Being able to monitor or review crew activity and incidents simply means vessel owners and supervisors can implement best practices to ensure crew safety and policy adherence.

Additionally, if hazardous situations or circumstances arise, such as extreme weather or an engine room fire, vessel owners can use live streaming video to monitor the situation or retrieve the recorded data from the vessel to formulate a response plan to assist the vessel in recovering from the incident. 

Finally, recorded footage can serve as documentation of incidents in the case of litigation. With more than 12,000 claims in a decade and a significant pain and cost assigned to those cases, those in the commercial maritime industry simply can’t afford not to monitor activity aboard a vessel – for the safety of the crew and the protection of assets.