SCI Hosts Industry Conference on Safety

On November 12, 2013, the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) and SafeMARINER, LLC will host “Zero Incidents through Training, Competency & Continual Improvement,” an industry conference for key players in inland American maritime transportation. The forum at SCI’s training center in Houston, Texas invites mariners, industry executives and regulators to the table to discuss critical issues surrounding safe transportation on the water.  

 

“Various individuals operating from different angles in transportation possess valuable knowledge unique to their roles,” says Captain Stephen Polk, Director of SCI’s Center for Maritime Education. “SCI’s industry conference brings perspectives from many areas together to tackle some of the big topics facing our industry today.”

 

As North America’s largest mariners’ service agency, SCI hosts forums like this one to address concerns facing men and women who work in the industry. New regulations and improvements in the twenty-first century present complex issues. Over its 179-year history, SCI has positioned itself as a respected mediator, cultivating strong relationships with numerous constituencies in the industry—government, corporate executives and professional mariners.

 

SCI employs a multidisciplinary approach to address concerns from stakeholders who work together for the safety of mariners on the water. Experts from several maritime companies help lead the forum discussion along with participants from the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board and the United States Coast Guard. Input from various perspectives contributes to the breadth and accuracy of problem solving.

 

“It’s not often that all of these folks are in the same room,” Polk said. “We view collaboration and networking as a vital, distinctive component to this event.” The November forum provides participants with the chance to share feedback and ask questions of some of the industry’s important decision makers and enforcers.

 

Topics at the event include Tanker Management and Self Assessment (TMSA2); the use of simulators in training and assessment; addressing issues of human error; safety management systems; and the potential for cross-industry interactive multi-sector simulator training.

 

President of SafeMARINER, LLC Rick Dunn, an expert in marine safety management, TMSA and continual improvement, moderates this industry-first event.