Section 8.2 Phases of Casualty Control
A plant that is functioning normally is pretty simple to operate — as long as the engines have fuel and air the automation does the rest. But when something goes wrong, the watch engineer needs to assess the situation quickly, and make an appropriate response without delay. Keeping the lights on and the shaft turning is important, but the safety of the crew and the vessel is primary.
Although it may not seem like it when you are surrounded by alligators, casualty control can be broken into four phases.
Notification.
Most of time you will learn of a casualty from an alarm on the main console: low lube oil pressure, high salinity, low water, etc. However, some critical parameters are not alarmed, so while you’re on watch you must continuously monitor main console gages like drum pressure, feed pressure, and condenser vacuum. Good monitoring may also give you advanced notice of problems before the alarm sounds. Finally, some problems will only be found by making good rounds — leaks, for example.
It is important to correctly identify the root cause of the casualty. The alarm you receive may only be a symptom of the true problem.
Immediate response.
As soon as you are aware of a problem, you should take action to minimize the casualty. Don’t hesitate to sound the engineers’ alarm to call for help. Attempt to prevent further damage to the unit concerned, by tripping or securing its power; and to prevent the casualty from spreading through secondary effects, but bear in mind the consequences of securing the equipment. Notify the bridge and the chief as soon as practical.
Recovery.
Next, regain stable plant status by restoring the services which were interrupted by the casualty. This may involve starting stand-by units, crossing over systems, placing automation in hand mode, bypassing regulators, or operating at reduced capacity. Don’t forget to establish support services such as cooling and lubrication for the newly started equipment.
Repair.
At the end of the recovery phase the plant will be stable, but may be in a vulnerable condition, with reduced capacity or redundancy. Therefore, any damaged equipment should be repaired as soon as possible, and the plant brought back to full operational status. The chief will give the captain an estimate of how long it will take to make the plant fully operational, and do the paperwork — fill out the logbook, casualty reports, and machinery histories.
Analysis.
After the fact, you should determine the cause of the casualty and the lessons learned. What caused the problem? Was it wear, fatigue, inadequate lubrication, poor maintenance, faulty repairs, improper watch practice, or something else? What can be done to prevent further occurrences? Better training, improved maintenance, redesign?
