3 Safety Lessons You Learn Working at Sea

Entering a maritime school for college is equal to challenging yourself to go out of your comfort zone. You will receive serious trainings and when you have finally finished school, you will be exposed to a different work culture. You will even work under different weather conditions.

To survive the sea faring life you have chosen, here are three basic courses you should know about. These will help you survive and even enjoy your chosen career.

Sea Survival Basics

Working at sea is far different from working offshore and more so on land, and having fears and worries can intensify the struggle of overcoming sea life. Make sure to remain calm all the time whether you are in the center of a storm or sailing through the quietude. Being calm will keep you mindful of the things you need to do.

In doing on board tasks, keep yourself hydrated. Considering the weather and location, there might be chances that you’ll get dehydrated faster so take extra care of yourself.

Do not expose yourself to too much sun. Put on some sunscreen and wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from UV rays. It’s one thing do be in danger of storms but it’s another to be made sick by the sun.

Remember, keeping your body in a good shape is a good start in surviving a life at sea so make sure to give your body proper workout.

First Aid

Immediate aid for wounds and small injuries is the adage “prevention is better than cure” at work. Since unexpected things can happen whenever and wherever, utilizing knowledge about first aid is preventive and, ultimately, cost effective.

Familiarize yourself with the common sea-related injuries such as attending to a sea buddy who accidentally steps on a sea urchin. You can help by cleaning the affected area and soak it in hot water. Soaking it in hot water will help the skin be more pliable so it will be easier to remove the spine. See this for further information.

Fire Fighting and Fire Prevention

Though you are surrounded by water, fire is ironically, something you need to take serious precaution with. So to keep your ship out of fire, keep the engine rooms clean. Track down leakages in fuel or other flammable systems and attend to them properly. Apart from this, put flame detectors, heat detectors, and smoke detectors on board. Above all, make sure that the fire management equipment are functioning well. See this guide on how to prevent fires in engine rooms.

Courses about how to survive a career at sea can be learned detail by detail in maritime schools, however this should not end on just passing trainings and written exams. More than surviving, living a career at sea will require you to be open-minded with all the possible things and situations that might happen to you, including little surprises or big unexpected accidents. But no matter what the situation is, keep yourself calm and try to remember what you have learned from your maritime school and training center.

Want to be a Seafarer? Check this list for Maritime Schools in the Philippines.