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SAFETY board, which can sometimes lead to fatalities, the human factors that play a role, and the preventative measures that can be taken by the company and the mariner to reduce that mariner’s risk exposure. AWO, in reviewing its

U.S. Coast Guard and AWO Safety

Partnership data in February 2019, noticed that nearly half of the towing vessel crew fatalities since 2010 re- sulted from falls overboard incidents, despite a 2012 Quality Action Team report on Reducing Fall-Overboard

Crew Fatalities produced by the Part- nership. In response, AWO constitut- ed the Permanent Subcommittee on

Operational Crew Fatalities to contin- ue studying this issue of the industry’s operational crew fatalities, including individual incidents and causal fac- tors, paying particular attention to the problem of falls overboard incidents.

One of the best ways to prevent inci- dences such as falls is an effective and robust culture of safety. To AWO this means that companies must utilize an effective safety management system which reduces the risk of incidents, injuries and fatalities through ongoing data-driven measurements designed through continuous improvement in safety performance. Safety is every- one’s responsibility, and safety culture must include components such as vis- ible, felt leadership; effective training; open, transparent communication; employee engagement; and training.

However, even the best safety culture isn’t 100% fool and fail proof.

Overall, how would you rate the in- dustry’s response to COVID-19 from a safety perspective?

While our industry, like all Ameri- cans, has been challenged by this global health crisis in profound ways, the domestic maritime supply chain has proven resilient in the face of CO-

VID-19. The men and women of the 61 www.marinelink.com MN