An Advance Look at the 2010 Update to the Marine Safety Performance Plan

Here's a preliminary link to the 2010 Update to the Marine Safety Performance Plan.* 

The 2010 Update is our annual review of the original  Marine Safety Performance Plan (Dec 2008). While this update highlights the significant progress we've made over the past year, there is still much more work to be done. 

We've made the initial commitment and investment to rebuilding an infrastructure that will ensure greater competency and consistency from Coat Guard Marine Safety professionals.  In essence, we have laid a strong foundation upon which to build.

There are still many challenges before us, but there is also evidence that some of the initiatives are already working.  Two of our National Centers of Expertise [Investigations (New Orleans, LA) and Outer Continental Shelf (Morgan City, LA)] are supporting the joint Marine Board of Investigation of the Deepwater Horizon.  We have significantly increased the throughput of students through the Marine Safety School in Yorktown, Virginia.  The National Maritime Center's net processing time for issuing Merchant Mariner Credentials is less than thirty days.   More is detailed in the 2010 update. 

It is important to note that the Coast Guard cannot acheive its goals alone.  We must acknowledge the terrific support we've received from senior officials in the Dept of Homeland Security, the Administration, and our Congressional Leadership, as well as from our industry parters. 

To make sure we continue be on the right track, we encourage you to read this progress report carefully, and to send us your thoughts on the Marine Safety Performance Plan and the 2010 update.

*In a few days, the update will be properly posted to the Marine Safety Program page on http://www.usgc.mil/ , and the internal links will be energized.  The CG Prevention Blog will note when the posting to uscg.mil is completed.  Until then, please post your comments and questions about the 2010 Update here.

USCG Marine Safety Performance Plan Specific Safety Initiatives—improve commercial fishing vessel safety

Excerpt originally published in the Summer 2008 issue of the U.S. Coast Guard “Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council” magazine as part of a special section—Capacity, Communication, Culture: The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Performance Plan.

Commercial fishing continues to be one of the most dangerous occupations in America. The industry also faces severe economic pressures, including depleted stocks and limits on fishing, increasing fuel and other costs, and prices that have stagnated since at least 2000. This fosters an attitude of greater risk tolerance that can lead to less emphasis on training, safety equipment, and maintenance.

The Coast Guard has pursued improvements in safety in the commercial fishing industry since before World War II. Voluntary commercial fishing safety programs received considerable attention in the 1970s, and the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Act of 1988 provided authority to require survival equipment, but did little to address prevention efforts. http://www.uscgboating.org/

Outreach and Communication
To improve our impact, we will seek to add full-time civilian commercial fishing vessel safety examiners and coordinators. This will allow us to expand the voluntary dockside examination program and reach out to those in the fishing industry to help them understand and come into compliance with regulations for basic safety equipment and lifesaving devices.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary performs a significant number of these safety exams and is an integral part of the fishing vessel safety team. We will seek to expand auxiliary involvement and institutionalize its role. In particular, we will use auxiliarists in boarding officer training and include auxiliarists in fishing vessel casualty investigations.

We will continue to promote safety and best practices through active participation at conferences and industry trade shows and through printed materials.

Partnerships
We will come together within the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Advisory Committee to improve safety communications and risk tools to assist fishermen. Additionally, we will join forces with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (that staffs a field office in Alaska focused on fishing industry safety) and take advantage of this expertise to develop future strategies to reduce commercial fishing vessel deaths and injuries.

We will also seek to improve information sharing with insurance companies to better understand injury mechanisms and potential interventions, and will leverage relationships with safety equipment manufacturers to identify areas where new or improved products are needed.

We intend to maintain close relationships with state fisheries regulators and seek to leverage their authority to favorably impact commercial fishing vessel safety. We will also work with Canadian regulators to share solutions and develop common approaches to minimize deaths and injuries.

Maritime Law Enforcement
We will direct a robust program of fishing vessel safety enforcement to deter unsafe operation, detect violations, and educate the industry. We will encourage operational commands to provide capable and sufficient resources, to schedule activities to maximize access to vessels and crews, and to provide ample advance publicity to effectively announce the program and explain its purpose.

We will encourage effective coordination of at-sea boardings, by identifying vessels that pose a greater safety concern because the operators refused to allow a voluntary dockside examination or were found not in compliance.In all instances, we will emphasize the importance of keeping the process cooperative and non-adversarial.

For more information:
Full article and “Focus on Safety” edition of USCG Proceedings is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings. Click on “archives” and then “2008 Vol. 65, Number 2” (Summer 2008).

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.

Online survey available at: http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/survey.asp.

Direct requests for print copies of this edition to: HQS-DG-NMCProceedings@uscg.mil.

USCG Marine Safety Performance Plan Specific Safety Initiatives—recreational boating safety

Excerpt originally published in the Summer 2008 issue of the U.S. Coast Guard “Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council” magazine as part of a special section—Capacity, Communication, Culture: The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Performance Plan.


Recreational boating is a fun and generally safe activity, yet each year some 700 boaters are lost and thousands more are injured. Recreational boating results in the third-highest annual number of transportation fatalities, and boating deaths are on the National Transportation Safety Board’s “Most Wanted” list.

To improve recreational boating safety, the Coast Guard is aggressively implementing a strategic plan developed in consultation with the National Boating Safety Advisory Committee.

Elements of the plan address:

Boating education. We will work with our partners to track the use and effectiveness of training and education courses.

Safety communications. We will act with key stakeholders and partners to improve safety communications and increase awareness of safe boating practices.

Safety equipment. We will increase boaters’ knowledge of required safety equipment and monitor trends for carriage.

Compliance with navigation rules. The Coast Guard will collaborate with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and other boating safety partners to improve the awareness and enforcement of navigation rules.

Additional Safety Measures
We will aggressively work with our partners to increase life jacket wear rates. We will join forces to assess factors affecting life jacket usage, encourage availability of life jackets, and strengthen the enforcement regime. In addition, we will seek to curb boating under the influence. The Coast Guard will create a baseline measurement to track trends in alcohol use by boaters, assess the effectiveness of field sobriety penalties, and increase the effectiveness of enforcement.

Performance Measurement and Reporting
We will team with National Association of State Boating Law Administrators to pursue a Memorandum of Agreement with all federal land management agencies to ensure proper and timely accident reporting to state authorities.

Manufacturer Compliance Efforts
The Coast Guard will identify boats involved in accidents where carbon monoxide, flotation, capacity, or fuel systems are factors and enhance manufacturer understanding of USCG regulations. We will verify any non-compliance via a factory visit program, and ensure corrective actions are implemented.

For more information:
Full article and “Focus on Safety” edition of USCG Proceedings is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings. Click on “archives” and then “2008 Vol. 65, Number 2” (Summer 2008).

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.

Online survey available at: http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/survey.asp.

Direct requests for print copies of this edition to: HQS-DG-NMCProceedings@uscg.mil.

USCG Marine Safety Performance Plan Objectives—improve program management

Excerpt originally published in the Summer 2008 issue of the U.S. Coast Guard “Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council” magazine as part of a special section—Capacity, Communication, Culture: The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Performance Plan.

We must deploy dynamic performance management practices through all levels of the program to maintain capacity, performance, and service, while delivering best value to the taxpayer.

Improve Management Accountability
We will restore transparency to the management of the marine safety program, and improve industry accessibility to Coast Guard leadership.

Service leaders at all levels will create opportunities to improve stakeholder engagement. We will capitalize on the Coast Guard’s modernization efforts to strengthen accessibility and timely service without jeopardizing transparency.

Strengthen Program Management
Ensuring that management structures and practices align with customer and other stakeholder needs—and that they are completely understood—is central to improving service delivery to the marine industry.

We will provide program direction that supports close, cooperative relationships with operational commands, industry customers, and other stakeholders. To the greatest extent possible, we will provide single-point accountability for all program outcomes, and designate management authorities and line-of-service responsibilities that correspond with key industry segments.

Develop a Balanced Scorecard
We will expand and improve our performance measurement capabilities and practices and develop a balanced scorecard that includes customer satisfaction metrics as well as a complete suite of outcome, output, activity, capability, and efficiency measures.

Implement a Quality Management System
We will implement a defined set of policies, processes, and procedures to execute marine safety mission activities. Implementing a quality management system throughout the program will enable us to identify, measure, control, and improve the core processes that will ultimately lead to improved mission performance.

For more information:
Full article and “Focus on Safety” edition of USCG Proceedings is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings. Click on “archives” and then “2008 Vol. 65, Number 2” (Summer 2008).

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.

Online survey available at: http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/survey.asp.

Direct requests for print copies of this edition to: HQS-DG-NMCProceedings@uscg.mil.

USCG Marine Safety Performance Plan Objectives—improve marine safety program capacity and performance

The next few blog excerpts were originally published in the Summer 2008 issue of the U.S. Coast Guard “Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council” magazine as part of a special section—Capacity, Communication, Culture: The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Performance Plan.


For the past decade, our marine inspector and investigator workforce has remained relatively constant despite a growing demand for domestic inspections, increasing port state responsibility, and increased homeland security requirements. Our ability to keep abreast of this evolving maritime industry is fundamentally linked to our potential to develop and retain an experienced cadre of technically savvy professionals.

Increase Capacity
To accomplish this, the Coast Guard must increase marine inspector and investigator capacity. To retain expertise and geographic-specific competencies while ensuring long-term continuity in critical mission areas, many of these will be civilian positions.

Achieve Appropriate Blend of Military/Civilian Workforce
Military personnel must continue to serve as marine inspectors and investigators to ensure innovation and to garner experience for management and command responsibilities. We will distribute civilian positions according to need and to complement the military workforce.

Maintaining proficiency within the marine safety program begins with recruitment and accession of additional maritime professionals. We intend to strengthen recruiting efforts at the maritime colleges through additional liaison officers and by seeking opportunities for Coast Guard officers to serve as faculty at those institutions.

Support and Reward Competency
To support these marine safety program recruits, we will work to ensure a viable career path to the most senior ranks of the Coast Guard. We must recognize and reward those who advance from apprentice, to journeyman, to expert marine safety professional status.

In addition, we will expand training and education programs, including engaging industry (within applicable legal and ethical guidelines) to maximize training opportunities and immerse our personnel in industry operations.

Expand Professional Education
Increased complexity in ship design and construction, including high-speed ferries, liquefied natural gas ships, mega-container and mega-cruise ships, and novel structural designs, calls for an innovative and knowledgeable technical staff to develop guidance, standards, and policy. We will work toward additional capacity and expertise to meet this demand.

For more information:
Full article and “Focus on Safety” edition of USCG Proceedings is available at www.uscg.mil/proceedings. Click on “archives” and then “2008 Vol. 65, Number 2” (Summer 2008).

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.

Online survey available at: http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/survey.asp.

Direct requests for print copies of this edition to: HQS-DG-NMCProceedings@uscg.mil.

Marine Safety Centers of Expertise

Rear Admiral Watson's narrated slides on Marine Safety Centers of Expertise

Marine Safety Performance Plan

Rear Admiral Watson's narrated slides on the Coast Guard Marine Safety Performance Plan