SafeMetrix at the 2020 Safety4Sea Limassol Forum – Post Event
We are pleased to announce that SafeMetrix was represented by Dr Luiza Shahbazyan at the 2020 Safety4Sea Limassol Forum, at Columbia Plaza, in Cyprus, today Tuesday 10th of March.
Joining the “Human Element” panel of discussions, Dr Shahbazyan elaborated on the proper evaluation of soft skills and the methods of applying them, along with their major importance in regards to the wellness of the crew. Moreover, she mentioned that in practice, the proper use of soft skills assessments creates a powerful message in the industry that they are vital for the seafarers’ welfare. She also went on to elaborate that learning about soft skills helps us better understand each crew member, the dynamics and the type of behaviour the officials are reinforcing between crew members while working onboard. Dr Shahbazyan concluded that we need to change the training methods to be needed-driven and not regulation-driven.
Capt. Paris Dimitriou, Crewing Manager & Marine & Safety Superintendent at Petronav Ship Management Ltd, talked about the four pillars of IMO, during his speech titled “IMO Quality pillars at a glance”. Amongst others, he described major maritime accidents and he said that even 100 years after the “Titanic” major crash, we still do not learn from our mistakes, as deadly accidents are still taking place often at sea. He stressed the fact that training methods should change and a few simple, but vital steps can be applied for the daily life of the seafarer onboard.
Mr Apostolos Belokas, Managing Director of Safety4Sea elaborated on a Crew Wellness Survey the company conducted and presented the results, which showed satisfied crew members overall. The findings though were contradicted by audience members who stated that specific crew members from the Philippines for example, who participated in the survey, do not prove as a valid example for work satisfaction.
At the end of the presentations during a very interesting exchange of thoughts both from the panellists and members of the audience who amongst them were industry officials and maritime professionals, the general perspective was the same. As a conclusion, it was stated by everyone that we, as part of the maritime sector, still have a long way to go in terms of ways to care for the crew onboard and change has to start from ashore. Companies need to change their attitude from within in order to be able to care for their crew. It was stated that “If we treat people like humans, they will act like humans. It’s all about applying effective ways towards a healthy work setting”.
As a closing statement on the general overview of the Forum, we are quoting our SafeMetrix Manager, Dr Shahbazyan who stated: “Hire and reward the crew for what they can do and not for who they are”.
If you would like to learn more about what the meaning of soft skills is and how vital they are for your crew and the dynamics of the working environment, book a live demo here:
