Mr Lee Gravolin Teekay Shipping (Australia) Pty Ltd (Seacare)
Category 5: Best individual contribution to workplace health and safety
Lee Gravolin holds the position of Deck Officer (Second Mate) on a roll on roll off ship called “Iron Monarch”, which is managed and operated by Teekay Shipping (Australia). As a deck officer, Lee has several responsibilities including the safe loading of cargo on and off the ship. Lee is the ship’s OHS representative, and is firmly committed to the safety of his ship and all onboard.
The ship is loaded with steel slabs using overhead gantry cranes. The operating systems on the gantry cranes need to be reset by a deck officer after a breakdown, requiring the deck officer to climb a steel ladder which is lowered from the gantry crane by the operator. A fall arrester is attached to the deck officer, however the fall arresters were not retractable, and if a person did fall he would be suspended in a fall arrested position. Lee realised that there could be a serious accident due to the effects of suspension trauma and this is what led him to champion the introduction of a more superior designed fall arrester.
Lee obtained information and selected the most appropriate fall arrester system for the application. A specially designed bracket was needed to accommodate the fit of the new fall arrester to each gantry crane. Teekay Shipping is considering replacing existing fall arresters within the fleet with the retractable fall arrester system as the existing fall arresters become due for replacement. This new type of fall arrester provides a means of timely rescue and can prevent suspension trauma.
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Page last updated: 03/05/2007