Health & Safety

[J Gowers]

I was in the Hyundai shipyard in the 70s and all the scafolding was bamboo never saw a problems with it. The thing that amazed us on the ship was that all the airlines in the yard were attached not using Jubilee clips or pipe clamps but with a length of wire which was wrapped around the rubber hose,these also all worked never saw one come off. FYI jubliee clips are now banned on offshore rigs and you must use pipe clips which come in two parts with two bolts to hold them together.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

I was Safety officer on a big Hospital job, this contractor was standing o a piece of four by two jammed under some form work three floors up, but on the outside, I hauled him back in and said "If I catch you doing that again you are off the job," I walked a few yards and waited, went back and sure enough he was back there, He was off the job, apparently he was more afraid of the boss than losing his job. The same form work mob were put off the job when they were caught throwing six by four sheets of ply off the fourth floor, one hit a plumber below and badly injured him.
Des

[James Curry]

BP went through phase of making the 2nd Mate the safety officer, may still be the case. One 2nd Mate came down the engine room to give the engineers a lesson on how to hold a hammer and chisel. He did not stay very long, I wonder why?

[Robert Barrett]

Lead Poisoning.
Just watched a program on BBC TV about lead poisoning from paint and thought back to all the painting I did on ships in the fifties and sixties.
Chipping, scraping and wire-brushing the old paint off followed by coating with red lead and more paint containing lead. The only safety equipment was chipping goggles. Seems like inhaling and contact with lead from paint can cause cardiovascular(tick) and memory (tick) problems. If only we had been aware of this then. I'm still glad to have enjoyed 50 + very happy years at sea.
R603245. ex 1953 Vindy Boy.

[John Arton]

When I was 2nd mate C.P sent us on a safety course at warsash college, very nice, wine at the evening meals and a very friendly barmaid running the bar in the evening who tore the back out of my mate who got it on with her. The course was designed and run for RFA guys.
Quite interesting with lessons on the best makeup of a safety committee, duties of the safety officer, safety inspections and exercises in lateral thinking and how to use it to spot possible safety hazards..
Actually got a certificate in health and safety at the end of it. Got a good handle on health and safety on board but with reduced crew levels and multi national crews it was difficult to get all onboard to think safety.
Rgds
J.A

[Tony Taylor]

Lead Poisoning.
Just watched a program on BBC TV about lead poisoning from paint and thought back to all the painting I did on ships in the fifties and sixties.
Chipping, scraping and wire-brushing the old paint off followed by coating with red lead and more paint containing lead. The only safety equipment was chipping goggles. Seems like inhaling and contact with lead from paint can cause cardiovascular(tick) and memory (tick) problems. If only we had been aware of this then. I'm still glad to have enjoyed 50 + very happy years at sea.
R603245. ex 1953 Vindy Boy.

yes, you probably had your hands in white or red lead and linseed oil at some point also

[happy daze john in oz]

Have a nephew in law who was a painter and decorator.
Has all manner of problems now with lungs, head and a form of arthritis that is not as common.
Who knows what was in that stuff years ago.

[Tony Taylor]

Have a nephew in law who was a painter and decorator.
Has all manner of problems now with lungs, head and a form of arthritis that is not as common.
Who knows what was in that stuff years ago.

more modern stuff has issues also, epoxy paints can give painters problems if they become sensitised to the epoxy, I have known guys who used it for years suddenly unable to go near it without a flare up

[James Curry]

Let's not forget Asbestos !!! that stuff has will shorten my time on earth. Has put me in a mobility scooter as blowing for tugs walking more than
50 metres. Those who worked down below , think back what the air was like when you were on standby and going from ahead to astern, the dust was like snow on several old timers I sailed on especially noticeable when the sun was streaming through the sky lights.

[j.sabourn]

The closing date for claims for asbestosis had a very short window for seafarers and think if hadn’t a claim in over fourty years ago and this was well advertised by certain uk unions then you were out in the cold as regards payments for remuneration. JS