View Our Upcoming OSHA 10 Hour Maritime Training Dates

The Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (MACOSH) was implemented in February , 1995 to advise on job hazards and safety guidelines for workers in the maritime industry including; shipyard employment, long-shoring, marine terminal and commercial fishing industries.  Its charter is due to expire April 30, 2017. In January, Secretary of Labor Perez appointed fifteen members and a Special Agency to MACOSH.  Out of the fifteen members, nine are new to the committee this year.

MACOSH develops maritime safety guidelines such as the OSHA Shipyard Industry Standards (OSHA 2268-10R2014). According to these guidelines MACOSH believes “all workplaces in the shipyard industry should have a safety and health program regardless of the size of the workplace or the number of hazards.”

Safety and health programs are to include appropriate training for employees on job hazards as required by the standard. A failure to train can be considered a violation, which could result in multiple separate violations if a group of employees are not trained adequately.

Employers are required to either train employees in-house or have employees trained by an outside vendor. Typically employers will use a combination of both methods to complete the training requirements set forth in the OSHA standards. OSHA has developed standards for Outreach training programs for the maritime industry. The OSHA Outreach Maritime courses cover three different areas of maritime employment; shipyard employment, long-shoring and marine terminal.  These trainings are voluntary, and don’t fulfill the training requirements set forth by the OSHA standards entirely, but some states, municipalities or employers may require this training as a condition of employment.

Some of the topics covered in the OSHA Outreach Maritime courses are; personal protective equipment (PPE), confined spaces, hazard communication, fall protection/scaffolding, fire protection, hot work, and electrical among others.

The new roster of committee members has a few familiar faces. James Rone- Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, Robert Godinez- International Brotherhood of Boilermakers-Iron Ship Builders, Donald Raffo- General Dynamics Corp., Solomon Egbe- Ports America Chesepeake, Amy Sly Liu- Marine Chemist Association, and James Thornton- American Industrial Hygiene Association, are all back on the committee this year. View the full list here.

There is no new date listed for the MACOSH’s next meeting. All inquiries regarding meeting dates, locations, and more information about MACOSH can be directed to Amy Wangdahl, Director, Office of Maritime and Agriculture. She can be reached at (202) 693-2067.