Even crews quite used to operating aloft can find themselves outside the comfort zone when faced with going up to transfer and evacuate an unconscious casualty
onboard safety audits and training that conform with international regulatory standards governing working at height. On the product side, Harken makes
Above: the complementary skill and knowledge bases of Harken’s core marine division, Harken ProCare and Elevated Safety have now been fully integrated
of 363m2 , reduce fuel consumption by
one third at a service speed of 16.5kts. The Safety Aloft course is tailored to
different end users, recognising that a solo round the world sailor has different needs to a fully crewed vessel. Considerations for superyachts,megayachts andmarine professionals such as electronics experts are different again. Importantly, Masse cautions that
having more people available on board doesn’t automatically translate to safer practices: ‘With a crew there is a greater risk of accidents due to co-activity on the boats, so the risks are different,’ he says. ‘We have many examples of incidents and accidents that are due to, for example, a communication problem with a halyard pull that continues while the technician is already at the top. Or the winch not being locked out, or the use of self-tailing on an electric winch while someone’s foot is jammed on a spreader. ‘The main thrust of our work is to raise
awareness of the risks involved and the procedures to be put in place to reduce them,’ he adds. ‘Sailors already know how to climb the mast, so we're just here to help them make their practice safer.’ The precautions and understanding
needed for this go far beyond simply having a redundant halyard and attaching them to the bosun’s chair or harness with a knot rather than a snap shackle. ‘So, in the same way that you are
trained to deal with a fire on a boat or flooding, training how to access the mast must be anticipated and the skills maintained,’ says Gardner. ‘That's where Harken / Harken ProCare and Elevated Safety come in, offering training adapted to the boat for crew members, including the creation or addition of personal protective equipment, awareness of hazards and risk analysis, plus access and rescue techniques.’ An important factor here is that
providing courses and training is by no means a new activity for the ProCare division, which has been doing this for many years to enable superyacht and grand prix race teams to maintain diverse types of equipment in the field. Harken ProCare will therefore be the first point of contact to help arrange training customised to the equipment and rigging found on each yacht. Working with Elevated Safety, this division can also help create safety and rescue plans for each boat or ship and perform
rope access and rescue equipment that will be already be familiar to many sailors. In addition, items such as its multi- purpose ascent/descent devices are developed in a very similar manner to the renowned sailing hardware, though collaboration with the most experienced rescue trainers in the world. This has helped create products that previously didn’t exist, while improving existing lines to be more efficient and easier to use. This range now includes LokHead winches, Ninja foot and chest rope ascenders, as well as the Clutch multi- purpose rope ascend/descend device. Nevertheless, all trainers take an unaligned approach and will recommend the best equipment for each specific situation, even if it’s produced by companies with which Harken competes in other areas. This also applies to the curated safety aloft equipment kits that Harken and Elevated Safety tailor to the needs of each boat and on which their crews can be trained. Through its specialist divisions and subsidiaries, Harken is therefore able to combine the high-efficiency rope handling equipment we’re all accustomed to using with a line-up of the most talented rope safety and rescue training professionals in the world. It’s an unbeatable combination that will markedly reduce risk to those who whose professional life involves working aloft, as well as improving safety for legions of amateur racing sailors and long-distance cruisers.
www.harken.com
SEAHORSE 63
❑
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124
