Guidelines for Health and Safety on Board Small Fishing Boats

There are a large number of lines, blocks, winches, haulers etc used on fishing boats. All of these take a substantial load at some time during fishing operations.

It is important that these are used safely and kept well maintained so they don’t become hazardous.

General Lifting

• Regularly examine all gear. Your Safe Ship Management (SSM) system may cover main items but there are often other smaller items not covered.
• Use certified gear only.
• Get into the habit of checking gear before you use it.
• Keep blocks and swivels etc well greased and maintained.
• Remember a load on a crane or davit affects stability. The vessel will heel when a crane is used.
• Even when the load itself is low the force is actually acting at the point from where the wire is suspended (normally through a block) on the boom so the load’s effect on the vessel will be greater than you may think.
• If along side ensure your fore and aft lines are tight while “breast” lines should have some slack in them.
• Use competent, trained and experienced crane or winch drivers.
• Always attach load control lines and guys.
• Don’t leave loads suspended.
• Make sure you know the Safe Working Load of the equipment you are using. Remember the SWL is that of the “weakest” component of the lifting system!
• Make sure all people are wearing safety hats!

Winch Safety

• Keep these systems well maintained and get into the habit of checking the controls before you put a load on the winch.
• Make sure the handlers know the position of emergency stops.
• Pass only 3 turns around a surge drum.
• Keep your hands well clear of drum. Pay about a metre from the drum.
• Riding turns.
• If anything obstructs your view of the load – stop the movement.
• Always leave a minimum of two turns on the drum.
• Avoid using a bar to guide wire onto drum where possible. If necessary make sure there is a second person operating the winch controls.

Line handling

• Check lines regularly for broken strands or fraying.
• Twist open stands to check for internal wear.
• Avoid kinks.
• Try not to bend wire through a sharp angle.
• Reverse ends of wire where possible to avoid uneven wear.
• Listen to sounds from wire under tension during normal working so you will recognise unfamiliar sounds that may warn of a potential failure.
• Don’t overload lines and avoid putting a sudden (shock) load on.
• Rollers and sheaves of blocks should be free to rotate. Keep them greased and their bearings or bushes in good shape.
• Avoid using synthetic lines on surge drums.