Drills at HKC Compliant recycling facilities – Part 2 

In Drills at HKC compliant recycling facilities - Part 1, we discussed the drills, including fire and explosion on the plot & ship, confined space rescue, and evacuation from ship and Plot. In addition to those drills, few more drills are conducted at recycling facilities:

Falling from Height:

When the ship is recycled, she is sitting on the ground. The ship's structures are quite high from the ground. During the recycling, process workers need to board the vessel regularly. Although workers use PPE and the NO GO areas are marked & barricaded on the vessels, there is a hazard of falling from the height.  Therefore, yard workers need to understand the actions which should be taken if a person falls from a height. Falling from height drill is conducted by simulating the fall of a human dummy. Workers are trained to rescue the person who fell down and give him first aid and medical attention.

Medical Emergency on Plot and Ship:

At any ship recycling yard, around 80 to 100 workers are present on a typical working day. It is important for workers to understand how to react if any of their colleagues face medical emergencies such as heart attack, fainting, etc. In this drill, workers are explained about the significance of first aid and the use of medical equipment. 

Oil spillage on Sea Water and Plot: 

When a vessel is delivered to the recycling facilities, it usually contains small quantities of fuel oil, lube oil, bilge water, and oily sludge. These oils are transferred from the vessel to the oil collection tanks using oil transfer pumps with the help of flexible hoses. Transfer of oil possesses the risk of oil spill either on sea water or on the Plot. Yard workers must understand how to respond in case of oil spillage as it is a major environmental hazard. Recycling facilities have oil spill kits to contain and collect the spilled oil. The kit has all the necessary material to clean the oil, such as oil absorbent pads, booms, shovels, drums, etc.  

Monsoon and Storm:

More than 90 % of ship recycling is done at southeast Asian facilities. India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan face the monsoon season from June to September every year. During monsoon, it is obvious to face heavy rainfalls, rough seas, and occasional storms. Therefore, it is significant for yard owners and workers to understand the actions to be taken during the monsoon. 

Every week emergency sirens are function tested to ensure the workers' awareness of different patterns of the emergencies. All drills are recorded, and post drill debriefings are done and discussed in the toolbox meetings. Drills are recorded until expected performance is achieved. 

HKC compliant recycling facilities strictly comply with the annual schedule of various drills to ensure safety at yards.