18 LMM V I S I O N ISSUE 18 | Q3 2024 SEAFARERS’ INTERVIEW ing some critical tasks. JLR: When I was driving my car to buy some materials for my house. It was around 1300H when I used to take a nap after lunch. I was alone and no one to talk to, I increased the volume of the car stereo but still I felt sleepy. So, what I did was I stopped in a nearby gasoline station and got some power nap. Thereafter when I felt fresh, I resumed my travel. AG: Lack of sleep and bothered with personal problems. So impaired decision making mostly happen. NL: 2nd engineer was replacing a steam line valve when he was distracted by 3rd engineer for another matter. He stopped his job to attend 3rd engineer’s site of work for advice. When he returned to his job, he continued assembling the valve but forgot to fit the gasket between the flanges. Just before suppling the line with steam, his assistant was standing over the new valve and noticed the missing gasket informing in time for proper action. How can you help others not to get distracted? DO: Limit irrelevant topics or conversations on Bridge; Give proper emphasis of the company’s distraction policy; Limit non-essential personnel on Bridge; Refrain from attending non-essential paperwork during watch, and; Close Bridge door at all times to avoid any distractions. KG: Have understanding, and embrace the ways of how not to get distracted yourself, then you can help the others as well. There are also other ways and tools to help with distractions such as robust safety training, regular hazard assessments, strict safety protocols and safety barriers, effective communication, emergency response drill, continued safety monitoring, recognition and reward of safety practices and staying updated with industry best practices. GA: By conducting a tool-box meeting prior commencing the job to discuss the importance of working without any distractions. Just concentrate all the time when performing the task. CM: By sharing the experience and training them to prioritize and organize the steps to be done when dealing with high-risk tasks. Familiarizing and following strictly rules of a certain task will help a lot to complete the task undistracted. Remain focused at all times and remove or isolate any known distraction in your workplace. CF: Knowing that every person is different and what works for one person may not work for another I try to adjust my help and proposals based on each person’s personality, way of thinking and decision making. The general thinking is as follows: ●● Encourage them to break down the tasks into smaller more manageable ones. ●● Suggest they create a distraction-free environment. ●● Encourage them to practice mindfulness to avoid stress and anxiety. ●● Listen to them and offer support in a way that is helpful and respectful. DV: I help others by promoting a culture of focus and awareness. I encourage them to minimize unnecessary noise, avoid multitasking during critical work, and regularly remind them of the importance of staying attentive to prevent incidents. JLR: I advise them to put their phone away or turn it off, prevent talking to somebody when doing their tasks and to not try to do too many tasks at once. I also advise them to limit social media, which can be a major source of distractions, and allow them to take a break or take a short nap to refresh. AG: Give them enough sleep, encourage them to have plans prior to the day before doing their task, set daily goals, avoid multi-tasking and tackle the biggest priority first. NL: Assigning each job to suitable personnel, planning and well analyzing the steps of a job so that clear guidance is provided, while proper evaluating and prioritizing of job, so that high-risk tasks are not performed in parallel with other important tasks and always have ample time available will help the person executing the task to not be distracted by other issues. Prioritize and plan ahead when undertaking high-risk tasks based on importance and urgency.
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