Guidelines for Health and Safety on Board Small Fishing Boats

The watch keeper is responsible for the vessel and the lives of all those on board the vessel.

The watch keeper must remain vigilant at all times to ensure the safety of the vessel and all who sail on board.

Watch keeping duties are rarely performed in ideal conditions. The weather may be rough and make it hard to do the job. Even when the weather is calm the watch keeper can sometimes get a bit bored, and not focus on the job.

Two watch keepers on board
If possible, it is a good idea to have two qualified watch-keepers at sea.

It can be hard to achieve this on a small vessel. Vessel operators should consider training all deckhands in watch-keeping and encourage them to sit the most basic qualification so the watch-keeping duties can be shared.

The three main jobs of the watch-keeper are:

• Avoid collision with other vessels or objects either floating or submerged.
• Keep the vessel on track and away from dangerous land and rocks and on her intended track.
• Manage the vessel and its logs books, charts and communications well and conduct other routine and training tasks professionally.

These are important responsibilities. Navigational watch-keepers on all vessels (large and small) have to be alert and aware – the vessel’s safety depends on you.

Good watch keeping practices

• Use more than one method to confirm your actual position. Use visual fixing, radar fixing and GPS regularly.
• Keep records of incidents, sea conditions and watch changes in Log Book.
• Safe navigation should never become second priority. Even when you have to attend to fishing operations and have to take longer between fixes, complete thorough checks before you leave the bridge.
• Keep yourself active through out the watch. Make sure you have plenty of jobs to do. If you are moving and working, you are less likely to fall asleep.
• Do not have a television in the wheelhouse area.
• Ensure, and regularly check that your own navigational equipment, particularly navigational and fishing lights are operable and switched on (or off) to indicate the vessel’s mode of operations.
• Always maintain anchor watches. Make sure your position is checked regularly. In adverse weather keep a bridge watch while at anchor.
• Keep a good lookout. To do this:
• Regularly go outside and scan the sea around the vessel.
• Use binoculars to scan the horizon.

• Regularly check the radar for new contacts.

• Keep note of the water depth under the vessel.

• Listen for sounds that are different or unusual.

• Look-out on the faxes and radio for changing weather.

• Make sure you know the shapes and light configurations of different signals. This will help you to know what other vessels are doing.

• It is very important to remain vigilant. Listen and look for things that may endanger the vessel and the crew. “All available means” includes using your equipment such as depth sounders and radars that provide “look-out” information
• When you finish your watch, conduct a good handover. Explain what has happened during your watch, point out the vessel’s current position, intended track and any immediate hazards. Tell the next watch keeper about any other points of concern you have.

Legal requirements

The Maritime Rules Part 22 states that vessels “”must at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as wells as by all available means in the prevailing circumstances…”