How To Create a Culture of Marine Safety

MOB Rescue with OSCAR - Water Rescue Training Dummy and C-Hero Lift.

Maritime workers deserve to be safe. There are over 113,000 Maritime workers in the US, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis in 2022. It is essential to create an industry culture where marine and water safety are non-negotiable. To create a safety culture, build water safety and man-overboard procedures into the organization’s everyday activities. Studies have shown that occasional water safety training programs are not as effective in ensuring safety. Leadership must demonstrate Marine Safety Programs to be most effective. The goal is to pair ongoing marine safety training and water safety products to create a culture that values maritime safety. 

Fighting Complacency and Building Confidence in Water Safety Training

To ensure engagement in Man-Overboard products, one of our partner companies C-Hero, offers an online training program. Teaching how to recognize a Man-Overboard incident, and the procedures to retrieve the MOB. The training instructs the employees but also provides accountability for the training. To receive certification, the employee must be video-recorded. It is a “badge of honor” that the employee has demonstrated their ability and dedication to water safety.

C-Hero Marine Rescue Systems
C-Hero Man-Overboard Recovery Certification

Why Water Safety Training Programs Don’t Always Work

Studies show that short-term changes in training programs are not as effective as they should be, according to a research essay written by Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev in Anthropology Today. Dobbin and Kalev mention, “Sometimes a short-term change occurs in attitudes, but very few find a widespread change in actual behavior.” Dobbin and Kalev offer a few reasons why these programs generally don’t work as intended. 

  1. Short-term educational interventions, in general, do not change people. This is true for worker safety courses.
  2. Researchers argue that the training activates stereotypes in people’s minds rather than eliminating them.
  3. Training can make people complacent, thinking that because they went through the program they’ve solved the problem.
  4. People don’t like to be told what to think. If marine safety training programs are ingrained in the culture, they cannot be dismissed.

Water Safety Needs to Start with Leadership

Emerald Marine Products has manufactured safety products for the maritime industry since 1996. It has partnered with dozens of other safety training institutions and product manufacturers. We have seen the successful implementation of safety procedures when company leadership invests in maritime safety products and policies. A safety culture that starts at the executive level trickles into the entire company culture. When employees observe their leaders value maritime safety, they will more easily engage in the training and use of safety products.

Wearing an ALERT Man-Overboard Alarm System every day keeps water safety at the forefront. By wearing the man-overboard system, the possibility of someone falling overboard is top-of-mind. Day after day, this makes maritime safety intuitive and ingrained.

SCF Lewis & Clark Fleeting have excellent MOB procedures and testing in place!
Photo courtesy of SCF Lewis & Clark Fleeting wearing Emerald Marine Products Man-Overboard Alarm System.

A Company Dedicated Solely to Water Safety Equipment and Training

Investment in dedicated equipment and “Practice Makes Permanent” is a thorough way of instilling a successful marine safety program. When it comes to fall overboard awareness, practice, and retrieval, Emerald Marine Products offers products and partnerships that can be your one-source solution for instilling a MOB awareness/prevention safety culture. Let Emerald Marine Products guide you on safety solutions that best meet your company’s needs. Contact EMP via our Contact Us webpage or phone us at 800-426-4201. Make your safety training programs effective, long-lasting, and a constant part of your company’s culture.