SIX THE WATERWAYS JOURNAL September 18, 2017

WJ Editorial

Guest Editorial

Celebrating Over 125 Years of News

H. Nelson SpencerChairman

nelson@wjinc.net

Nelson Spencer Jr.Publisher

spence@wjinc.net

John S. ShoulbergEditor/Associate Publisher

john@wjinc.net

David MurraySenior Staff Writer/WJ Editorial

david@wjinc.net

Heather ErvinAssociate Editor

heather@wjinc.net

Frank McCormackGulf Coast Correspondent

frank@wjinc.net

Daniel C. OwenContributing Editor (IRR)

Capt. Richard Eberhardt, Jim Myers, Keith Norrington, Judith Powers,

Jim Ross, Jeff L. Yates Contributors

Jason KoenigSenior Account Executive

jason@wjinc.net

Zac MetcalfClassified Advertising Manager

zac@wjinc.net

Dennis H. RobisonGraphic Designer/Production

dennis@wjinc.net

Alan ThornGraphic Designer/Production

alan@wjinc.net

Pat PlatterCirculation

pat@wjinc.net

Tracey BohmsData Manager (IRG/IRR)

tracey@wjinc.net

Julie FisherAccounts Payablejulie@wjinc.net

Danielle WestfallBilling/Advertiser Services

danielle@wjinc.net

Cindy BequetteCustomer Service/Shipping

cindy@wjinc.net

Subscriptions ..................................... $39 per yearCanadian Subscriptions ................... $104 per yearForeign Subscriptions ..................... $260 per yearSingle copies of this issue .......................... $2 ppd.Periodicals Postage Paid at St. Louis, Mo.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Waterways Journal, 319 N. 4th St., Suite 650, St. Louis, MO 63102-1994

The opinions voiced in articles contributed to this publication are those of the author, concerning which the publisher assumes no responsibility. The publisher cannot assume responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or photos.

Copyright 2017 by The Waterways Journal Inc.

(ISSN 0043-1524) (USPS 669-380)Published Weekly (Every Monday)

319 N. 4th St., Ste. 650, St. Louis, Mo. 63102Ph: 314, 241-7354 Fax: 314, 241-4207

www.waterwaysjournal.netGeneral Email: info@waterwaysjournal.net

the

WATERWAYSJOURNAL

Weekly

Safety—A Cognitive System

Lessons Learned, Resilience IncreasedIn 1900, a hurricane surprised the island community of

Galveston, Texas. Wind of more than 135 mph. destroyed more than 3,600 buildings. Death toll estimates range from 6,000 to 12,000—in a population that at the time was only 40,000. The 1900 hurricane, according to the National Oceanic and Atmo-spheric Association, is officially recorded as the single deadliest U.S. natural disaster.

Government mistakes and miscommunication likely made its casualties worse. The 10-year-old U.S. Weather Bureau, which would later become the National Weather Service, wrongly pre-dicted that the storm would head north toward New England. Its director had blocked incoming hurricane information from Cuba because of politics. At the same time, he instructed local U.S. weather forecasters that they could not issue weather ad-visories without approval from Washington first, a tedious task in those days.

In 1928, a hurricane known as the Great Okeechobee Hurricane—commemorated in Zora Neale Hurston’s nov-el Their Eyes Were Watching God—struck Florida on Sep-tember 26, 1928. It ranks as the second-deadliest U.S. nat-ural disaster behind the Galveston hurricane. It wiped out entire towns and killed an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people, or half the population of western Palm Beach County at the time. It caused $16 billion in property damage in today’s dol-lars, bringing Florida’s 1920s land-development boom to a screeching halt and plunging it into depression a year before the rest of the country.

In more recent times, the death toll from Hurricane Katrina

is not known for certain, but has been reckoned at around 1,800. So far Hurricane Harvey has been blamed for 31 deaths,

while Irma caused at least 68 deaths in the Caribbean and south-eastern U.S.

What lowered the casualty toll so drastically? Experts say that some fortuitous factors were involved: floods from rain give peo-ple more time to react than Katrina’s tidal storm surges, and the Houston area does not have as many densely populated poor ar-eas as New Orleans.

The social-media ecosystem is much more advanced than it was even during Katrina, and was used very effectively by gov-ernment agencies to communicate and inform. Texas ports fared better than hoped, reopening remarkably quickly and allowing vital petroleum supplies to begin moving again.

Apart from government actions, an array of smartphone apps have also helped people move smarter, avoiding dangerous areas and gravitating toward shelters and other areas where food and water were available. Many say quick restoration of cell-phone service should be a life-saving priority in future disasters.

But the actions of government anticipators and responders played a great part in lowering human casualties. It came down to two words: preparation and communication. As detailed in several stories in this issue, companies, ports and localities have increased their resilience by staging supplies, doing extensive drills and performing table-top exercises informed by data from recent disasters.

Those efforts paid off, and everyone involved deserves thanks and recognition.

By Thomas Montgomery My uncle always used to say, “Expe-

rience is the best teacher.” In fact, ex-perience is the only teacher. Experience is the way our minds mature and devel-op though the diversity or repetition of events. Diversity from the standpoint of the variety of incidents and repetition in terms of the sheer number of events.

As common features from each situ-ation are recognized, they grow to form the mental frameworks around which similar experiences are organized. These mental roadmaps grow to be multifunc-tional and are used in perception, thought and ultimately, to dictate behavior.

Safety behavior is no different. A per-son’s safety behavior is grounded in the same developmental processes we use to learn everything else. Once the basic mental structures are formed, they grow to be used in recognizing potential risks and to govern decisions about safety ac-tions. The greater the number and variety of experiences, the more developed the person’s safety awareness and the more skilled they become in identifying, and subsequently, avoiding hazards. In fact, research indicates that as much as 76 per-cent of all safety incidents included a fail-ure to recognize hazardous situations.

How is it then that some workers are safer than others? Is it a product of the prior experiences of the individual? Re-cent studies suggest that a person’s safe-ty attitude is based on the original experi-ences that form the basic mind structures. For example, if one learns that certain safety practices are important during ear-ly experiences, subsequent events that

validate the earlier experiences will aid in building a safety awareness. Of course, the converse would also be true. If safety is not emphasized, then a more careless attitude can emerge.

The question then becomes, is it pos-sible to determine if an individual has a safety mindset, and if so, how can we continue to develop it throughout a per-son’s employment? Indeed, if safety be-havior is truly a product of the mind, it should be possible to assess how one thinks about safety, and then provide op-portunities and experiences that contin-ue to promote safety behavior through-out a person’s career.

Interviewing

While a safety mindset can certain-ly be discovered by noting an individu-al’s behavior, it can also be ascertained by conducting a cognitive interview. Cogni-tive interviewing is based on the prem-ise that thought precedes behavior, and how the individual “thinks” about safe-ty can be discerned through appropriate questioning. For example, conceptual, open-ended questions indicate the ba-sic thought structure behind the individ-ual’s view of safety. Situational questions can then be used to assess the ability to apply those underlying principles. More simply put, it’s one thing for some to state that safety is foundational to all work ac-tivities, but another if the individual can’t apply it to specific situations.

Training

Identifying the proper safety attitude is foundational to any future development

derived through training and experience in the workplace. A key element, aside from differences in aptitude, literacy, or pre-training skill levels, is how the indi-vidual views safety training. If the trainee doesn’t recognize the value of the train-ing, retention of presented information will be minimal. Conversely, a positive at-titude facilitates the likelihood that the practices will be incorporated into the in-dividual’s behavior.

To assist in cognitive development, training should stress thinking and rea-soning, not simply memorization. The point of training is the substance, so the safety practices can be applied in active or productive ways. Consequently, it’s im-portant that trainees understand the rea-soning behind the practice so they can generalize it across a variety of situations.

Instructional methods that accommo-date various learning styles should like-wise be used. A University of Tennessee study found that multi-sensory learning that incorporated visual, auditory and practical methods of instruction reduced the time and the cost of training by more than 50 percent.

Here again, repetition and variety are instrumental in building upon existing brain structures, so presenting a safety principle while changing the method as-pect of the training will aid in cognitive processing. For example, safety practices change somewhat at night, so conduct-ing night training would emphasize safe-ty principles in a dissimilar, yet relevant setting.

Safety training should also be limit-See GUeST eDITORIAL PAGe 11

September 18, 2017 THE WATERWAYS JOURNAL ELEVEN

HUMAN RESOURCES FOR THE MARINE INDUSTRY

WE CAN HELP.

Inland Rivers HR o�ers extremely flexible HR solutions for companies in the river industry. We can provide assistance to your existing HR department or act as your HR department in the areas of employee relations, HR & claims administration, recruiting, and much more.

ARE YOU FRUSTRATED WITH THE HR SIDE OF YOUR BUSINESS?

DO YOU FIND YOU DON’T HAVE TIME FOR DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS?

DO REGULATORY COMPLIANCE ISSUES TAKE UP VALUABLE TIME YOU SHOULD BE GIVING TO YOUR

TEAM?

To learn more about our services, call today at (502) 244-4137, or visit us on the web at

InlandRiversHR.com

Eco-Tred

is designed to assess tankerman perfor-mance and competency.”

The foundation of the SOSA program is built on real-world, live observations of tankermen by an assessor, using a form that is comprised of eight sections cover-ing more than 100 items.

“Any observed deficiencies receive im-mediate coaching and correction,” Dixon said. “The data from these assessments is analyzed by our training and compliance manager to identify trends and develop action plans to close any gaps in our train-ing process.”

The primary purpose of the SOSA program is proactive incident prevention. By the end of this year, Dixon said the company expects to complete more than 2,400 SOSAs on PSC tankermen across the United States.

“We recognize that the journey to zero incidents can only be attained through sys-tematic continuous improvement. We’re certainly proud of our tankermen for go-ing 365-plus days [as of last week] without a spill into the water due to tankerman er-ror and without an OSHA recordable in-jury,” he said. “More importantly, we’re honored to be a part of the continuous improvement effort across the entire U.S. tugboat, towboat and barge industry.”

Guest Editorial(COnTInUeD fROm PAGe 6)

ed to 20-minute sessions. Studies indi-cate that it takes about 20 minutes for the mind to consolidate information into long-term memory. For this same reason, presentations should also be limited to a brief introduction of one to three objec-tives, followed by a concise presentation of the material, and then summarized at the conclusion. Studies show that people can process between five and nine items in short-term memory, depending on the material presented. Consequently, by structuring the presentation in this fash-ion, trainees have three opportunities to grasp the information.

On-The-Job Experience

Work experience following training should expose crewmembers to a vari-ety of work environments, while empha-sizing safety practices. As their employ-ment progresses, rotating crewmembers to various positions under a variety of en-vironmental conditions is also beneficial. By broadening a person’s experience in the various operating environments, their safety awareness grows to be more devel-oped and comprehensive.

Conclusions

Safety is a construct of the mind that develops with experience. Experience forms the basis of thoughts that ultimate-ly dictate behavior. Safety behavior is no different, but it begins with who you hire. If you hire people who fail to see the im-portance of safety in their work activities,

this same attitude will hinder develop-ment efforts such as training and on-the-job experience because the individual doesn’t “think” safety. Cognitive training and work experience designed to facili-tate mental processing are far more effec-tive when you start with someone with a safety mindset.

Thomas Montgomery, CEO and presi-dent of Inland Rivers HR, has a doctor-ate in business administration, a Masters of Arts in organizational communication,

and undergraduate degrees in psycholo-gy and criminal justice. He has more than 35 years of experience in human resourc-es, which include recruiting, employee relations, union avoidance, training and education, benefit administration, safe-ty and claims administration, employ-ee development, performance manage-ment, affirmative action, Coast Guard licensing, USCG/DOT drug testing, EEO complaints, and other HR administrative functions.

Vise Drydock ContractThe Coast Guard Surface Forc-

es Logistics Center has awarded a $741,295 contract to International Ship Repair & Marine Services Inc., Tampa, Fla., for drydock repairs to the mv. Vise and its barge.