Mary Phillips, Teacher In The Field
Wed, 16 Jul 2003

Saftey at Sea

Since we are so isolated on our vessel, 600 nautical miles northwest of the Galapagos Islands, saftey preparedness is important. Captain Jim Laughlin acts as the ship’s medical officer, and yesterday we had our first minor injury. One of the galley’s crew had slightly burned his finger, but The User’s Manual for the Ewing emphasizes that crew and visiting parties “not attempt to hide any abnormal conditions you experience while on the vessel”; without proper attention, even a small problem can escalate into a more serious one.

On our first morning aboard ship, Joe Stennett, the science officer, stressed safety procedures and mandatory attendance at all safety drills as we watched a 20-minute safety video. Like all vessels, the Ewing must comply with ISM (International Safety Management) standards and code.

Although a bit dated, the video was specifically made for scientists about to start work aboard a research vessel, and it simulated a number of dangerous or potentially dangerous situations that can occur while doing science at sea. These included launching instruments on wet and slippery decks, using chemicals in a lab, working around compressed gas, and dealing with fire at sea.

As I move about the Ewing, from deck to deck inside or out, I am aware of signs pointing to the life rafts on A deck. Every person aboard is listed not only by cabin number and telephone, but also by a station bill number which indicates a specific raft station and number. Within each raft station there are assigned duties, and members of the scientific party are assigned to rafts that also contain one or two crew members more familiar with these. There is food and water contained on each raft, and the personal life jackets that we practiced wearing during a life raft drill contain lights, whistles, and reflective tape.

In addition, each person is also required to bring a survival or sea immersion suit with him to the life raft area. These are kept in conspicuous orange bags in each cabin, and David, one of the graduate students, was chosen to wiggle into one of these “gumby” suits as a demonstration to the science party. The suit may look silly and cumbersome, and the bag is awkward to carry, but the effort should be worth it if the suit were needed.

Even in tropical waters, hypothermia can easily occur if a man is overboard waiting to be retrieved. Life rings with strobe lights are located on deck that can be thrown in rescue while observers point to the person in the water. When I was in the Atlantic Ocean as one of 21 teachers at SEA during late July of 2000, my assignment during the “Man overboard!” drill was that of pointer. Although our “man” was only a large buoy, I can still recall how quickly and how far away it drifted from our sailing vessel and how difficult it was to see in the distant waves while the mates hurried to launch a zodiac and headed out to retrieve it. The drill was a sobering lesson indeed.

Watch your Step

The Ewing is not outfitted for handicapped accessibility. All movement from deck to deck is by stairway with access to the flying bridge by outdoor ladder only. Most doors are heavy, especially the deck's, and sills are raised to keep water out in an emergency. While Joe Stennett stressed to us that falling is the most common accident aboard, the second most frequent source of injury is misuse of the watertight doors, and we were warned not to grip them by their edges when opening or closing them. Their weight alone trapping a hand could cause injury.

Handrails are everywhere inside the vessel hallways, and equipment such as the computer stations in the main lab are all secured by bungee cords. Computer keyboards and laptops sit atop rectangles of frictionless plastic and are also secured by bungees. However, no handrails outfit the lab and we have to carefully watch our step and move cautiously among the racks of scientific data recorders, plotters, and computers. Because the rotating office chairs have had their wheels replaced with wooden blocks, the heavy chairs are relatively stable and not easily moved. As the ship shifts and pitches, however, it’s not unusual to see an empty seat slowly spinning on its axis, ghost-like.

The seas have been moderately active over the past two to three days in connection with tropical winds reported by the captain at Beaufort levels of 4-5. Beaufort 4 refers to a wind speed of 11-16 knots with small waves becoming longer and showing numerous whitecaps, while a level of five can mean winds speeds of 17-21 knots and waves up to a height of 6-8 feet. From the Watchstander’s Post we can check the TV monitor on the waist deck and be aware of any spray coming over the lower deck of the Ewing as well as the condition of the fantail work areas.

Musical Dishes

Somewhat to my surprise on Wednesday, July 16th, my lunch plate and silverware started sliding across the tabletop toward Astrid sitting opposite me. This was the first time I had observed so much movement on the mess tables, which are equipped with flexible side rails, and immediately one of the crew members walked over and presented me with a damp paper napkin. He explained that putting it under my plate would increase the friction between the tabletop and my garlic chicken, he was right. As I looked around at the others, nearly every crewmember was routinely doing the same.

Another lesson learned about safety at sea.