Authored by: Erick Hawley-Saia, Greenwich Terminals LLC
Welcome back to the NMSA Blog, and another quarterly summary of what is happening in the marine cargo handling industry as 2024 continues to be active and ever-moving. What we have seen thus far includes:
- OSHA has submitted a proposed rule to the Office of the Federal Register for publication regarding a new regulation for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention.
- The Maritime Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (MACOSH) finalized two more educational publications:
- Five Ways to Respond in an Emergency
- Stay Safe at Maritime Facilities
- A collaboration between the International Chamber of Shipping, TT Club, and the International Group of P&I Clubs (IGP&I) published a guidance document entitled Common Guidance on the Presentation and Loading of Vehicles (v 1.4).
- The document educates the Reader on forming Terminal-specific guidelines and safety checks for vehicles intended for stowage and transport during:
- Time of booking
- Upon Terminal arrival
- During loading and stowage
- While underway to the next Terminal
- Simple and concise checklists are provided to the Reader as reference or to incorporate as they see fit for their operation.
- The document educates the Reader on forming Terminal-specific guidelines and safety checks for vehicles intended for stowage and transport during:
- The International Cargo Handling Coordination Association (ICHCA) published ICHCA Australia which offers updated industry information on topics ranging from the Cargo Integrity Group (CIG), brief details of a fatal incident aboard PCTC M/V Grande Baltimora, cruise line updates, and another vessel banned from Australian Ports for lack of maintenance and fixture deterioration:
- Supreme Court strikes down former Chevron ruling affecting power of Federal Agencies:
- SCOTUS reduced the power of Federal Agencies to interpret laws they control, and ruled that courts should rely on their own legal interpretations of ambiguous laws.
- As this ruling was issued 28 June 2024 its full implications will assuredly continue to evolve as it pertains to OSHA, EPA and other Federal Regulatory Agencies.
NMSA’s Annual Meeting set another attendance record at our Tampa, FL gathering. Both our Technical Committee Meeting and Open Conference Speakers again showed the broad scope and diversity of the Longshore workplace safety and health issues NMSA readily engages which included, in part:
- Heat Illness and Prevention hazard recognition, response, Best Practices, and frontline tactics by TC Members Zach Walden and Jason McWaters.
- The evolution of Employee training using simulator technology offered by CM Labs.
- TC Member Dr. Sharifa Batts’ insight and guidance on deconstructing the decarbonization process for MTO’s, and achieving Green Marine Certification.
- Hazardous materials incident response offered by TC Member Jennie Perez of the Puerto Rico Shipping Association.
- TC Member and USMX Representative Ron Signorino with DSS+ Representatives Nancy Kondas and Jonathan Cohen updating Attendees on updated and next-generation Powered Industrial Truck (PIT) training for today’s workforce.
- Veronica Bersani of LoveLife Nutrition and Wellness to empower and motivate clients to make healthy and sustainable food choices, and how these choices may directly affect the safe performance of daily tasks.
- Ryan Blair of SSA Marine regarding safety challenges in cruise operations
- Brady Breaux of The Mosaic Company’s Panel for safe handling and storage of hazardous materials.
- Olja Correa as OSHA’s Compliance Assistance Specialist provided an OSHA update, and was also accompanied by her Area Director.
- US Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg Commander Stefanie Hodgdon with Best Practices for maritime safety initiatives and partnerships at Port Tampa Bay.
- Brian Lamarre who is the Region’s Meteorologist in charge of the Weather Forecast Office at the US National Weather Service.
- TC Member and Senior V.P. for Safety and Members Performance at Signal Mutual Richard Lubert regarding De-escalation strategies and how to prevent workplace violence.
- Patrick Nelson the CEO of Loyalty Point Leadership, Leadership and Safety Speaker & Consultant.
- Regulatory updates by Stephen Peranich as the Principal at Blank Rome Government Relations LLC.
- Mike Raub of Briotix Health discussing best practices to prevent common injuries.
- Ken Serviss and Marianne Wolfe from the Allied Trades Assistance Program (ATAP) presenting Behavioral Health Components of an Employee Assistance Program including mental health and substance abuse recognition and recovery.
NMSA was proud to present its 2024 Person of the Year Award to Robert Dieda (PNW Safety Director – SSA Marine), and a Champion of Maritime Safety Initiatives Award to Dave Turner (V.P. Safety, Security & Environment – Yusen Terminals). We thank them for their years of leadership, and continuous work towards protecting our Longshore Workers.
We again thank our Speakers and TC Members for their expertise and insight. Through these partnerships and collaborations NMSA will continue to lead the way on maritime workplace safety issues that affect our Longshore Women and Men that drive the success of our industry each day and each night to move the cargo that sustains our Nation.
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The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent the opinions or endorsements of any organization or entity. Readers should use their own discretion and consider multiple sources of information when forming their own opinions or making decisions.