Obvious risks such as fire, stormy weather, collisions and
flooding are ever-present when working at sea. Specialist
training to enable crew members to cope with the
eventuality of life-threatening situations is a priority
of all reputable cruise lines.
Generally, all new crew members will be requested to
attend a safety course within
a short time of joining the vessel. This course should
cover emergency procedures,
lifeboat/raft instruction and basic firefighting. In
addition, all crew members will be expected to attend
regular crew safety drills and some will also be
requested to assist with the passenger safety drills. It
should be pointed out that in the course of these
(particularly crew) drills you may be expected to assist
in physical, grimy and even potentially dangerous
activities which you may consider irrelevant to the job
for which you were hired. Manicurists and ballroom
dancers be warned.
Ships sailing out of American ports also have to pass
both stringent US coastguard inspections (which affect
all crew members) and United States Public Health (USPH) inspections
concerning hygiene and
sanitation (which involve a great number of the crew).
It is advisable to familiarise yourself with the emergency routes from your cabin
and workplace as soon as possible after joining a ship.
Make sure you know the location and understand the
operation of water-tight and fire doors, and also how to
use the fire extinguishers and launch
the lifeboats/rafts. |
