Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1221030
ILA-USMX Joint Safety Committee Working Together For The Benefit Of All ILA-USMX OSH Alerts are devised to reflect the best possible information and guidance, and are products of diligent research and the most up to date subject matter knowledge. Consequently, while the information contained herein is believed to be accurate, owing to a host of factors ILA-USMX can convey no direct or implied warranty relative to the reliance of parties upon content. OSH ALERT 2020-05 [10 March 2020] More on the Novel Coronavirus The ILA~USMX Joint Safety Committee (JSC) continues to receive inquiries regarding the manner in which industry labor and management constituents may become aware of any potential risks posed by Coronavirus-infected crewmembers/passengers that may be present within the shipboard workplace. As a threshold matter, all of us should understand that in the event of any crew member/passenger death or illness, U.S. law and regulation require ship Masters to provide advance notice to the relevant U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention quarantine station, Penalties for failing to report are sizable. The regulation appears in this form: ยง 71.21 Report of death or illness. (a) The master of a ship destined for a U.S. port shall report immediately to the quarantine station at or nearest the port at which the ship will arrive, the occurrence, on board, of any death or any ill person among passengers or crew (including those who have disembarked or have been removed) during the 15- day period preceding the date of expected arrival or during the period since departure from a U.S. port (whichever period of time is shorter). Notwithstanding; out of an abundance of caution, the JSC recommends the following: 1). That ILA workers and members of management avoid close contact (closer than 6 feet) with any crewmembers or passengers who appear to be ill (coughing, sneezing, etc.); and 2). That those ILA and management workers obliged to serve aboard passenger vessels be provided with properly fitted NIOSH-approved filtering facemasks and impermeable gloves; Consistent with previous advice, we continue to provide extremely informative links to the relevant CDC and WHO websites. They provide excellent guidance: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html World Health Organization (WHO) https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 Got a question about this particular subject? Write to the JSC at: blueoceana@optonline.net