A new safety campaign is organized in Queensland in Australia to improve safety and raise awareness of the use of capstan and windlass winches in the commercial fishing vessels. Industrial Relations Minister Cameron Dick said the campaign had been developed by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland ( WHSQ ) in the wake of its investigation into an incident last November when a fishing boat worker suffered serious injuries.
According to him WHSQ had also developed a safety alert for the state’s commercial fishing industry to warn workers of the dangers involved in operating unguarded capstan and windlass winches. This is really helpful as it reduces most of the accidents that happen due to capstan and winches. Dick also said that there will be audits of fishing vessels, targeting the use of capstan and windlass winches that are usually used to lift gear at the rear of a vessel. He informed that probe into last year’s incident show there is a heightened risk of entanglement in the moving parts of a winch, with potentially fatal consequences.
The safety audits, which start next week, will be carried out first among the Sunshine Coast commercial fishing trawlers operating out of Mooloolaba and may be extended across the state after the results are reviewed. The aim is to highlight the hazards involved so ship owners can take preventative action.
