Sea Safety – What Goes Wrong?

Nearly all rescues at sea are the result of a captain making a bad decision before leaving the dock.  Those decisions are rooted in the failure to estimate the encountered peril.  The captain does not perceive the destination, whether it is the weather, the water, or the condition of the vessel in use.  When you are at sea, you are surround by an element that can kill you. 

Proper assessment of the peril include knowing the water, knowing the effects of cold water, knowing the effects of the weather and knowing the capabilities of your vessel. 

Whether the captain is right or wrong, the captain is always responsible:

Some of these responsibilities include: Mechanical soundness,  emergency equipment, passenger knowledge

Professional Operations – What makes the safe guys safe?

          Success modeling – checklists, scenario replay, preparation

          Risk assessment – Evaluate risks based on the SPE model.

• Severity –   How severe is the risk?
           (the severity of someone falling overboard at night – very high)
• Probability – What is the probability of the risk occuring.
           (if crew is on deck at night there is a likely probability)
• Exposure – how often and to how many people would this risk occur?
           (not often, but crew can slip)

          Rephrasing the question – “Do I have to wear a lifejacket?”

                   = should you have to wear a lifejacket as the weather is turning bad and the water temp is 39 degrees and being in the water without one could be fatal?